Public hearings at LNPP-2

Vladimir Proklov, Deputy Director of the Institute for the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy

On Feb 7 Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad region) will host public hearings of the materials on the ecological impacts of the construction and the operation of LNPP-2. One day before the hearings Deputy Director of the Institute for the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy Vladimir Proklov comments on the technical aspects of the project.

Leningrad region is actively developing. Its industrial infrastructure is enlarging. It lacks energy but this lack will be covered by the new LNPP.

The region has big research and development institutes, whose specialists can provide the project with a strong technological basis. This is a big potential and we must use it. Leningrad region is ready for such a project: formerly, there were plans to build WWER-640 reactors there. I would like to remind you that Izhora Plants are situated quite near and can easily provide the project with reactor vessels and heavy equipment. In other words, the region has necessary heavy engineering capacities for building NPP within the tough deadlines set by Rosatom.

Rosatom’s NPP-2006 program is based on two projects: project designed for Novovoronezh NPP and project developed by the Leningrad Office of Atomenergoproject and being implemented in China. This is an upgraded version of the project. It was once offered for implementation in Finland. It is safe and has many other advantages.

The new project is quite ready for implementation. This project has already been tested in China, where its 1,000 MW type is operating at 100% capacity. At LNPP-2 the capacity of the reactor will be raised to 1,200 MW – which is very important.