Moscow, March 25 - Neftegaz.RU. According to Rosatom,Novovoronezh - Unit № 2 at the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II, equipped with the VVER-1200 reactor has been brought to minimum control power (MCP).
Minimum control power level is reached when neutron flux is recorded in a reactor working at a level sufficient to sustain a fission chain reaction. Reaching MCP is considered as the final stage of the physical start-up procedure.
Every stage has occurred on schedule and in compliance with all the safety regulations. In due course specialists will conduct a set of physical experiments on the neutronic characteristics of the reactor’s 1st fuel charge, as well as confirm the operational reliability of the reactor’s entire monitoring and safety systems. The physical start-up will be completed at Unit 2, following these experiments.
The power unit will then be prepared for power start-up and connection to the grid - both planned for the end of 2019. The launch of the reactor will bring the share of nuclear in the Central Russia’s electricity grid to 27% thus preventing over 4 million tonnes of GHG emissions every year and boosting the region’s economy.
The VVER-1200 is the flagship of ROSATOM’s Generation III+ PWR-type reactor and the world’s only Generation III+ design in series construction. Unit №2 at the Novovoronezh-2 NPP is going to be the 3rd in the series following unit №1 at the same NPP, launched in 2016, and unit №1 at the Leningrad-2 NPP, launched in 2017.
The following countries, among others, have chosen to adopt this technology: Finland, Hungary, China, Bangladesh and Belarus. Rosatom’s international order book currently comprises of 36 committed VVER units across 12 markets.