Russia’s state-owned nuclear power giant Rosatom said it had permanently shut down the Leningrad 2 power plant two years after Leningrad 1 was shut down for the last time.
“The Leningrad 2 nuclear power unit in Sosnovy Bor in western Russia was shut down permanently today,” the corporation said. Concurrently, as planned, the reactor’s output is to be replaced by Leningrad II-2, a VVER-1200 model that recently (on Nov. 6) received regulator approval to start pilot operations.” Pilot operations defines the initial commercial output in a 100-day trial run that ends, if no problems arise, with the unit declared commercially fit.
Rosatom said the Leningrad 2 was shut down for decommissioning at one minute past 12:30 a.m., Moscow time. Shortly after, the unit was disconnected from the regions electricity grid.
“As in the case of power unit 1, which was shut down in December 2018, regular operations will be carried out with the second unit. In fact, the procedures performed practically do not differ from ordinary maintenance,” said Vladimir Pereguda, the director of the Leningrad facility.
“Now our task is also to service reliably and safely the shutdown unites, unload nuclear fuel,” he said.
With one unit closing and one beginning its commercial phase, Rosatom General Director Andrev Petrov said the impact on the consumer would be “imperceptible.”
Rosatom noted the advantages of the new unit included a longer lifespan and 20 percent more power than the model just shut down.
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