Russia readies Rostov 3 for commercial operation

Acceptance tests have been started at unit 3 of Russia's Rostov nuclear power plant, state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced yesterday. Successful completion of the tests will mark the end of pilot operation of the reactor and its readiness to be put into commercial operation, the company said.

Acceptance tests have been started at unit 3 of Russia's Rostov nuclear power plant, state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced yesterday. Successful completion of the tests will mark the end of pilot operation of the reactor and its readiness to be put into commercial operation, the company said.

Operators in the control room of Rostov 3 (Image: Rosatom)

Alexander Belyaev, deputy chief engineer for the project, said in the company statement that acceptance testing is conducted for 15 days, according to national regulations. The tests will verify that the unit's main equipment and auxiliary systems are able "to work together under stress". No issues have been raised so far, he added.

Once the tests have been completed, the operators will produce a report that, together with other documentation and the results of all the audits conducted at the unit during the pilot operation phase, will be sent to regulator Rostechnadzor.

The Rostov plant is located on the banks of the Tsimlyansk reservoir, nearly 14 km (8 miles) from the city of Volgodonsk. Four 1000 MWe VVER pressurized water reactors have been planned at the Rostov site (formerly known as Volgodonsk) since the early 1980s. Construction of units 1 and 2 began promptly, but progress faltered. Units 1 and 2 eventually entered commercial operation in 2001 and 2010, respectively.

Unit 3 was brought to the minimum controlled power level on 7 December and was connected to the grid on 27 December. It reached 100% of its capacity in mid-July, Rosatom said yesterday.

Unit 4 is expected to start operations in 2017.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News