Balakovo NPP Publishes 2025 Ecological Safety Report

Russia's Balakovo NPP released its 2025 ecological safety report on August 31, 2026. The report data show that the plant's operational activities comply with the requirements of sanitary, epidemiological, and environmental protection regulations.

The report was presented in a roundtable format. Participants learned about the plant's ecological policy and the results of environmental monitoring studies, and exchanged views on relevant issues. Alexander Kurlov, head of the external radiation safety laboratory at Balakovo NPP, stated that before the plant's construction, the natural gamma background of the local area had to be measured and its upper and lower limits determined. Since the plant was put into operation, no exceedances of these limits have been recorded at the industrial site or in the surrounding areas.

According to the information provided, 22 automatic radiation environment monitoring system (ASKRO) stations are deployed within the observation zone of Balakovo NPP; in addition, 16 standalone information displays have been installed in various areas of the city of Balakovo to publish radiation background data.

Stanislav Ryazanov, head of the environmental protection department at Balakovo NPP, stated that over more than 40 years of operation, no events with negative environmental impacts have been recorded at the plant. The ecological safety of the NPP is continuously supervised by regulatory and research institutions, and long-term independent study results show that the plant has not caused adverse effects on the surrounding natural environment or the safety of local residents.

Balakovo NPP collects and analyzes more than 600 environmental samples annually within the observation zone. Researchers from the Department of Animal Morphology and Ecology at Saratov State University found in relevant surveys that 31 plant species listed as rare and protected in the region grow within a 30-kilometer radius of Balakovo NPP, 11 of which are protected at the federal level. The study results indicate that the environment adjacent to the plant has not affected the survival of these plants.

The printed version of the report will be submitted to relevant administrative bodies, deputies of the Balakovo municipal district council, and representatives of municipal committees, while the electronic version has been published on the official website of Rosenergoatom.

Balakovo NPP is part of Rosenergoatom and is located in the city of Balakovo, Saratov Oblast, Russia, on the left bank of the Saratov Reservoir. It is one of Russia's major nuclear power enterprises. The plant comprises four improved VVER-1000 reactor units, each with an installed capacity of 1,000 MW, commissioned in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1993, respectively. The plant generates approximately one quarter of the electricity produced in the Volga Federal District.