The 340-tonne reactor vessel for the second unit at Kursk II is being shipped by AEM-Technology JSC, marking what Russia's nuclear corporation Rosatom says is a record for annual reactor production.
(Image: Rosatom)Earlier this year reactor vessels and steam generators were shipped for units at the Tianwan and Xudapu nuclear power plants in China, and for Kudankulam nuclear power plant in India.
Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said: "This is the fourth reactor produced by Atommash this year. This means that our machine-building division is reaching a record pace of production of reactor equipment." He aded that it was "not a record for the sake of records" but a reflection of an "ambitious programme for the construction of nuclear power plants" in Russia and abroad.
The VVER-TOI design was announced in 2010. Kursk II will replace four RBMK units currently operating at the site. The generation III+ power unit has an upgraded pressure vessel, increased power to 3300 MWt and 1255-1300 MWe gross (nominally 1300), improved core design to increase cooling reliability, further development of passive safety with 72-hour grace period requiring no operator intervention after shutdown, lower construction and operating costs, and 40-month construction time. It will use a low-speed turbine-generator.
The reactor vessel is to be transported by road and by river from AEM-Technology's Atommash production site in Volgodonsk, Rostov Oblast.
Researched and written by World Nuclear News