Concreting milestone at second Leningrad-II unit

In total, more than 180 cubic metres of concrete have been laid within the reactor building, with the thickness of the concrete layer ranging between 80cm and 120cm.

"Completion of the concreting of the internal structures of the reactor compartment will make it possible to complete the lining of the holding pool and carry out its hydraulic tests," said Alexey Mochalov, deputy head of the reactor department of Leningrad NPP-II. "In 2019, it is planned to complete the construction of the external structures of the reactor building - a double containment shell. After that, it will be possible to talk about the complete construction readiness of the reactor building of the second power unit."

Rosatom noted that the concrete used is itself another safety barrier due to its composition. It contains iron ore and cast iron reinforcing bars.

"We use very heavy concrete, which absorbs radiation well, protects nuclear power plant personnel, and can be operated for a long period under high radiation-thermal loads," said Pavel Ivanov, lead engineer of the construction control department at the plant. He noted that regular testing of samples confirms the high quality of the concrete during its production.

The existing Leningrad plant site in Sosnovy Bor has four RBMK-1000 units, while Leningrad-II will have four VVER-1200 units. Leningrad 1 was shut down for decommissioning on 21 December last year.

Construction on the first unit of Leningrad-II began with first concrete being poured in 2008 and work on the second unit followed in April 2010.

Leningrad-II unit 1 was brought to the minimum controllable power level on 6 February 2018, connected to the grid on 9 March and is expected to enter commercial operation shortly. It became the second VVER-1200 reactor to start up, following the launch in 2016 of Novovoronezh unit 6.

Rosatom announced today that all four steam generators - each measuring 11 metres in length and weighing 7 tonnes - have now been put in place within the reactor building of Leningrad-II 2. Installation of steam lines that supply steam from the steam generators to the turbine will now begin and is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2019.