A preparatory meeting has been held at the construction site of Russia’s Smolensk-II NPP under the chairmanship of the director of Smolensk NPP Director Ivan Sidorov. It was attended by The Deputy Director for Construction at nuclear utility Rosenergoatom, Viktor Wagner, who is responsible for capital projects. Also present were Grigory Naginsky, Director General of general contractor Titan-2 and Dmitry Tveritinov, Titan-2’s Executive Director as well as representatives of subcontractors.
Smolensk-II is being built 6 km away from the existing Smolensk NPP which comprises three RBMK reactors, nearing the end of their design life. The first unit was commissioned in 1982 and has had its lifetime extended until 2027. The second unit has a permit to operate until 29 May 2025 and the third until 14 December 2034. Russia’s general plan for electric power facilities until 2042 includes the first two units of the Smolensk-II NPP, which will feature VVER-TOI reactors scheduled for completion in 2032 and 2034.
The meeting was in preparation for the concreting of the foundation slab of unit 1, scheduled for March 2027. The visit programme began with a detailed inspection of the construction site where support facilities are already being built.
An inspection of the work areas was also carried out – on the vertical layout, movement of logging residues, installation of fire extinguishing systems, water supply, construction of an on-site and temporary access road, installation of pits for a reinforcement shop and a concrete mixing unit.
For construction to survive, it is necessary to combine the efforts of the customer, general contractor and subcontractors. The experience of constructing nuclear facilities at «TITAN-2» is colossal, and only together we will cope with the assigned tasks», noted Ivan Sidorov, director of the Smolensk NPP, at the opening of a meeting within the headquarters.
Discussions included safety and labour protection and organisation of a security system for the site as well as plans for more construction workers. “We are talking not only about labour protection, but also about fire, environmental, and radiation safety. All these areas must be managed systematically,” said Titan-2 Executive Director Dmitry Tveritinov. “You should not be afraid to show real violations, analyse them and draw conclusions. We will definitely implement the best practices here that are already working on other construction sites.”
Currently, 90 people and 46 pieces of equipment are on site. It will be necessary to increase the number to 1,000 people by the summer. A construction camp will be developed to provide them with decent conditions including housing, canteens, a first-aid post.
Meanwhile, public hearings have been held in the city of Roslavl, where information was provided, including preliminary environmental impact assessment materials and justification for licenses for Smolensk-II units 1&2. The hearings were attended by deputies of the Russian State Duma, the Smolensk Regional Duma, representatives of Roslavl Municipal District, Rosatom’s Public Council, Rosenergoatom, healthcare institutions, as well as education, scientific and environmental organisations, local residents and the media.
“Nuclear energy occupies a central place in the general layout of electric power facilities until 2042. A third of all new capacity included in this strategic document of the country comes from NPPs,” said State Duma deputy Artem Turov. “This confirms the recognition of Rosatom’s technological leadership at the state level. The corporation sets global standards for security, openness and responsibility for the future. The Smolensk station here acts as a clear example, working around the clock in the interests of industry and people. I am confident that the future NPP will develop and increase these standards.”
Presentations were made by experts from project company Atomenergoproekt» specialists from the Smolensk NPP, and the medical & sanitary unit No 135 of the Federal Medical & Biological Agency of Russia. They addressed the safe construction and operation of power units, and measures to minimise the impact on the environment.
“Smolensk-II is a new project with improved technical and economic indicators, meeting modern Russian, European and international requirements,” said Dmitry Meshcheryakov, head of the forecasting department at Atomenergoproekt. “The design was carried out based on an analysis of the operation of the Novovoronezh-II and Leningrad-II NPPs, which are already in operation. The best technological solutions of the VVER-TOI are also integrated. A facility has been designed that must withstand any challenges, including those that happen once every millennium. The project includes seismic protection up to 7 points on the MSK-64 scale. This means that all systems remain operational in the event of possible earthquakes for a given area, with a large margin. There is protection against extreme weather events – the estimated wind speed is set at 45.4 m/s which corresponds to hurricanes of the highest category. In addition, the double containment design is designed to allow an aircraft weighing 5 tonnes to crash at a speed of 100 metres per second, as well as a shock wave with a frontal pressure of 10 kilopascals.”
The progress of the public hearings was monitored by a Supervisory Board, which included representatives of the North-West branch of the Nuclear Society of Russia, the Academy of Sciences of Ecology, Human Safety & Nature, Rosatom’s Public Council, the Public Chamber of the Smolensk Region, the National Research University Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MPEI), and the Smolensk city Atomic Energy Information Centre.
The Supervisory Board said the event was held in accordance with regulations, ensuring proper information was made available to the population about the NPP. “The new NPP in its technical, economic and environmental characteristics is significantly superior to NPPs of previous generations, and meets the modern requirements of both specialists and the population,” noted Yuri Bozhin, representative of the Supervisory Board, Candidate of Technical Sciences and Associate Professor at the MPEI’s Smolensk branch.
