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Kursk 1 retires

Tuesday, 21 December 2021

After 45 years of power generation, the first reactor at Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant was permanently shut down on 19 December. Plant owner and operator Rosenergoatom celebrated its achievements and looked forward to new units under construction to replace it.

Kursk 1 retires — Operators shut down Kursk 1 for the final time (Image: Rosenergoatom)

"During operation since 19 December 1976, the power unit has generated more than 251 billion kilowatt hours of electricity," said Alexander Uvakin, acting director of the power plant. "This is enough to ensure the energy consumption of the Kursk region for 30 years with modern electricity consumption. The unit worked reliably and safely," he said.

In total Kursk's four RBMK-1000 units have generated 987 billion kWh of electricity, said Rosenergoatom. It also provides district heating to nearby towns and process heat to industry.

"A new story begins for the Kursk nuclear power plant," said Rosenergoatom head Andrey Petrov. The four RBMK-1000 units are all due to retire by 2031, with two VVER-TOI reactors under construction at the adjacent Kursk-II plant to replace them. These are the latest model of standardised and digitalised from the Russian nuclear industry. The first Kursk-II unit should start up in late 2022.