Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, the technical consultants and main equipment suppliers for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, announced today, that ‘innovative Unit-2 of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant-2’ for the first-time supplied electricity to the national grid.

The VVER-1200 reactor was brought to the minimum controlled power level on 22 March and it reached a capacity of 240 MW. It is located in southwest Russia. Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant-2 Unit 2 will be the third VVER-1200 to be commissioned, following Novovoronezh NPP-2 Unit 1 and Leningrad NPP-2 Unit 1, which were launched in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

VVER-1200 is a flagship nuclear reactor and core product of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation. Being an evolution of VVER-1000 reactors that were built in Iran (Bushehr), India (Kudankulam) and China (Tianwan), the new design features improved performance across all parameters. Its capacity has increased by 7%, number of operational staff required is reduced by 30-40%, and the reactor’s lifetime is doubled to 60 years with a possibility of extending it up to 80 years.

Novovoronezh NPP-2 Unit 2 is scheduled to become operational by the end of 2019, providing the European part of Russia with a reliable clean source of energy. Light-water reactors, using normal water under pressure have been developed and constructed in Russia and are known as VVER-type reactors. In such reactors, water serves both as a neutron moderator and as a reactor coolant.