Rostov reactor vessel delivered

Thursday, 30 May 2013

The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for unit 3 of Russia's Rostov nuclear power plant has been transported to the construction site ready for installation.

The reactor vessel arrives at the Rostov site (Image: Rosatom)

The major component - weighing more than 300 tonnes - was produced by OMZ Izhora at its factory in Izhorskiye Zavody. The RPV was transported by boat up the River Neva before being loaded onto a low-loader truck for the final part of its journey to the construction site.

Four 1000 MWe VVER pressurized water reactors have been planned at the Rostov site (formerly known as Volgodonsk) since the early 1980s. Construction of units 1 and 2 began quickly, but progress was slow. Units 1 and 2 eventually entered commercial operation in March 2001 and October 2010, respectively.

In June 2009, NN-AEP, a subsidiary of AtomEnergoProm (AEP), won the tender as principal contractor for the construction of units 3 and 4, now slightly larger at 1100 MWe. Construction of unit 3 began again in late 2009, with its reactor building dome installed in October 2012. Units 3 and 4 are set to be completed by 2014 and 2016, respectively.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News