The installation of the first of 6 tiers of reactor containment of WWER-TOI power unit 2 started at Kursk NPP construction site.
The Kursk NPP-2 power unit construction project provides for the double reactor containment - the inner and outer ones. In case of emergency, the first one will prevent the radioactive emission into the environment and the second one will protect against natural and man-made outer impacts.
This massive structure aims to keep the overpressure, dampen vibration and protect the reactor plant against outer impacts of the environment, even the airplane crash, pointed out Igor Kuzmenko, the Chief Engineer of the capital construction division.
The containment is erected by means of pre-assembly which allowing reducing the time of power unit erection, improve the quality of structures assembly and reduce labour costs. Internal containment units are manufactured in the factory workshop near the plant construction site. Due to the improved technology, manufacturing of one reinforced concrete blocks of average weight 70 tons and 15 and 9 meters dimensions is one months. In order to construct 6-tier tight internal containment of the reactor it is necessary to construct about 70 elements. The height of all the structure is comparable with 20 storey building.
For reference
3+Gen Power Units 1 and 2 of Kursk NPP-2 are pilot units built under VVER-TOI design (standard optimized digital water-water power reactor) and they meet the most advanced IAEA safety requirements. VVER-TOI is considered as meeting the EUR requirements. This is a new design created by Russian designers (Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division) based on technical solutions of NPP design with VVER-1200. It has the advanced technical economic indices, as compared with power units of the previous generation (VVER-1000), the capacity of each unit has increased by 25% up to 1255 MW. Service life of the main equipment is twice as long. Compared to other 3+ generation power units, the VVER-TOI project involves a significant reduction in construction costs, timelines and operating costs. The developer and technical customer of the facility is Rosenergoatom JSC. The general designer and general contractor is the Engineering Division of Rosatom State Corporation.
For reference:
The Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division was established by integration of the leading companies of the industry: JSC ASE EC (Nizhny Novgorod), JSC Atomstroyexport (Moscow), JSC Atomenergoproekt (Moscow) and JSC ATOMPROEKT (St-Petersburg).
The Engineering Division is one of the global leaders in nuclear power engineering and holds about 30% of the global NPP construction market. It carries out its activities in Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa as well as in the Asia-Pacific region.
80% of the portfolio include foreign projects.
It implements design and construction projects for high-power NPPs, renders a full range of EPC, EPC(M) services and develops Multi-D technologies for management of complex engineering facilities. The Engineering Division rests upon the 50-year experience of the Russian nuclear power industry and state-of-the-art innovation technologies.
We construct reliable and safe NPPs with 3+Gen VVER reactors that are in line with all international requirements and recommendations.