Rosatom Public Council holds expanded meeting in Novovoronezh

The Public Council of Rosatom recently held an expanded field meeting in Novovoronezh and organized a technical tour of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) for its delegation. The event was timed to coincide with commemorative activities related to Unit 6 of the Novovoronezh NPP. The unit features a VVER-1200 reactor and is one of Russia's flagship Generation III+ nuclear power projects.

The meeting was held online and chaired by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev. Participants included representatives of Rosenergoatom, Russia's nuclear power operator, Rosatom, the Voronezh Region government, the Novovoronezh city administration, as well as public, environmental, and research organizations. Representatives from the scientific community of Primorsky Krai also took part in the visit, as the region plans to develop nuclear energy projects in the coming years.

During the technical tour, Vladimir Povarov, Director of the Novovoronezh NPP, led the delegation through the main control room of Unit 6, the turbine hall, and other facilities, while presenting the safety systems employed in modern VVER-type reactors.

The delegation also inspected a number of public facilities in Novovoronezh, including the Palace of Culture, School No. 3, the Start Stadium, an ice arena, and a branch of the Novovoronezh Polytechnic Institute of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. These projects are being implemented in cooperation between Rosatom and the Voronezh Region government, with participation from the Novovoronezh NPP, Rosenergoatom, and the development fund Association of NPP Host Towns, among others.

According to the information presented, during the implementation of the cooperation agreement between Rosatom and the Voronezh Region government, the regional budget has allocated over 4.7 billion rubles in additional funding for the development of Novovoronezh. A further 763 million rubles in federal and regional funds were attracted through competitive mechanisms of the Russian Ministry of Construction, used for the construction of sports facilities, improvement of public spaces and residential areas, renovation of kindergartens, schools, and roads, as well as upgrades to the city's water supply and heating networks.

In 2022, the Voronezh Region government and Rosatom jointly launched the Efficient Region project, with Novovoronezh NPP employees implementing 40 projects focused on improving regional infrastructure and the quality of life of local residents.

Located on the banks of the Don River, approximately 45 km south of Voronezh, the Novovoronezh NPP is Russia's first nuclear power plant to use VVER-type reactors and is a key source of electricity for the Voronezh Region. A total of seven VVER units have been built and commissioned at the site, with four units currently in operation. Among them, Unit 3 is the prototype VVER-440 unit, Unit 5 is the prototype VVER-1000 unit, and Unit 6 is the prototype VVER-1200 unit.

Units 1 through 5 of the plant were commissioned in 1964, 1969, 1971, 1972, and 1980, respectively. Units 1, 2, and 3 were shut down in 1984, 1990, and 2016, respectively; Unit 4 received an extended operating license in December 2018 following modernization. Since 2007, two Generation III+ units, Units 6 and 7, have been under construction at the site, both based on the AES-2006 project design. Unit 6 entered commercial operation in February 2017, and Unit 7 was commissioned in October 2019.