Rostov NPP: energy startup of power unit No.2 is performed

At the unit control board, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, having listened to report of the power unit shift supervisor, personally gave the order to the plant staff to proceed to technological operations on reaching of the capacity.
Thus, execution of the first part of the approved Program «Energy startup and reaching of capacity» was successfully finished. The next step is beginning of reaching of capacity, from 35 to 50 %.
Reaching of 50 % from nominal capacity and putting of the power unit into experimental-industrial pilot production, in accordance with the schedule, are planned for end of May of 2010. Power unit No.2 will be adopted for commercial operation approximately in October of 2010 after reaching of 100 % of nominal capacity value and performing of commissioning trials.
Power unit No. 2 of Rostov NPP became firstling of Program of nuclear power industry perspective development approved in 2006. it is the first power unit built in Russia for the recent five years. Its construction and startup mean returning of the branch to serial construction of nuclear power plants.
Execution of Program on startup and commissioning of the second power unit of Rostov (Volgodonsk) NPP was started on 19 December of 2009, when the first heat-emission assembly (HEA) was installed into the reactor, that started the first criticality of the reactor (all 163 assemblies were loaded by 24 December). On January 22 of the current year, the power unit reactor installation was put to minimum controller output level.
Since 20 February of 2010, at power unit No. 2, Program «Energy startup and reaching of capacity» is being executed. In the framework of the program the following operations are being performed: increasing of capacity of the power unit from 1 to 35 %, testing of turbogenerator at idle running, scheduled tests of the power unit technological systems and safety systems, as well as trial operations on synchronization and connection of the generator to network in the framework of operational and verification testing.
Further, when works on integrated testing of the power unit at capacity level of 50 % will be finished, the power unit will be put into experimental-industrial pilot production. After reaching of nominal capacity (100%) and performing of commissioning trials, the power unit will be accepted for commercial operation.