Russia’s planned Kola-II NPP has received an Order signed by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev On the organisation of work for the construction of power units 1&2 of the Kola-II NPP with an installed capacity of 1200 MWe.
The Order specifies the deadlines for the readiness of the fundamental documents for the construction of the plant, the roles are of relevant organisations and the appointment of responsible personnel.
The first two units, each with a capacity of 600 MWe, are planned to be built between 2027 and 2037, with two more similar units to follow. Kola-II will be the first station where the latest medium-power VVER reactors with spectral regulation will be installed. The VVER-S is capable of operating in a closed nuclear fuel cycle using uranium-plutonium fuel. Service life of the main technological equipment is 80 years.
Investments in the construction of this new NPP in the Murmansk region will amount to more than RUB1,500bn ($18.6bn). It is planned to build four innovative power units with an average capacity of 600 MWe each, according to the Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation with respect to the Northern Sea Route and Arctic.
“The construction of the world’s largest nuclear power plant beyond the Arctic Circle will provide the Murmansk region and Karelia with reliable, safe and environmentally friendly electricity generation for the next 100 years,” the Commission noted. The new NPP will replace the four units retiring in the 2030-2040s at the existing Kola NPP, which comprises four VVER-440 units. Kola NPP was the first nuclear power plant to be built in the harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic.
Construction of Kola-II is included in the General Scheme for the Location of Electric Power Facilities to 2042, which was adopted at the end of 2024. Initially, it was planned to build not four, but three units planned for 2035, 2037 and 2042. It is expected that the fourth unit will be included in the next general scheme for the development of the electric power industry – planned to be built in 2044.
