OREANDA-NEWS. On August 30, 2007 the speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov has started his working visit to Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad region). Gryzlov is being accompanied by the head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko, the governor of Leningrad region Valery Serdukov, the acting director general of Rosenergoatom Alexander Lokshin, the deputy director general of Rosenergoatom-the director of Leningrad NPP Valery Lebedev, reported the press-centre of  Rosenergoatom.

Gryzlov, Kiriyenko and Serdukov have visited the construction site of Leningrad NPP-2 and have signed under the text of a message that has been put into a capsule symbolizing the start of the project.

The message says: “2007 has seen the launch of a new program for the development of the nuclear power industry of Russia, while this day has marked the rebirth of Leningrad NPP. The units of LNPP-2 with their improved WWER reactors will replace the existing RBMK reactors and will become a reliable source of energy for St.Petersburg, Leningrad region and other areas of North-Western Russia till the end of this century.”

After putting the capsule in the foundations of the plant Gryzlov said: “This project has given a new stimulus to the development of our nuclear power industry – today we have turned a new page in the history of power engineering in Russia.”

Kiriyenko said: “We are building a nuclear power plant of new generation, a safe and efficient facility, which will help us to develop our economy and to fulfill the President’s directive for redoubling our GDP.”

The head of the administration of Sosnovy Bor Dmitry Puliayevsky handed the acting director general of Rosenergoatom Alexander Lokshin the permission for allotment of 200 h for the project.

Note
After the ceremony Gryzlov and Kiriyenko met with veterans and congratulated on the launch of the project.

Since Apr 1 2002 Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has been the branch of Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian State Concern for Production of Electric and Thermal Power at Nuclear Power Plants” (Rosenergoatom Concern).

Presently, the life of unit 1 has been extended for 15 years, the life of unit 2 — for 5 years (after modernization it will be given 15 years more). The service deadline for units 3 and 4 is 2009 and 2011, respectively. Their lives can be extended for 20 years.

The construction of unit 1 of LNPP-2 is part of the Federal Target Program for the Development of the Nuclear Power Industry of Russia in 2007–2010 and -2015, approved by the Government of the Russian Federation on Oct 6 2006.

In 2008 the Government is planning to allocate 5,909bln RUR for the project. The total cost of the project is 69,023bln RUR.

Today Gryzlov and Kiriyenko have given start to the preparatory stage of the project – in fact, the project is underway.

LNPP-2 has been approved by the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Control.

The general contractor of the project is Atomenergoproject (St.Petersburg), which has won this right in a tender (on July 25 2007) against Atomeneroproject (Moscow) and Atomenergoengineering. On Aug 28 2007 Rosenergoatom concluded a contract with AEP.

In Feb 2007 the project was offered for public discussion. The public approved the project but made over 100 proposals on how to improve it. All of them have been considered by the designers.

Presently, the project is being examined by the Chief State Inspection of the Russian Federation.
Russia has already built similar reactors in China – Tianwan NPP.

LNPP-2 has even better technical parameters than Belene NPP (Bulgaria), Atomstroyexport’s project meeting all European standards.

Unit 1 of the plant is to be launched in 2013.