Rilancio del nucleare in Russia

[Zmajcek]

Forte rilancio nucleare in Russia


Fino al 2030 la Russia ha in programma la costruzione ogni anno di due rettori nucleari. L’obiettivo, secondo le dichiarazioni del direttore dell’Agenzia federale per l’energia nucleare (Rosatom), è quello di realizzare entro il 2030 da 40 a 60 nuovi reattori.
Attualmente, la Russia ha in servizio 31 reattori nucleari in dieci centrali, per una potenza totale di oltre 21.700 MW, che coprono il 16% della produzione elettrica del Paese, e sono in costruzione altri 4 reattori, per una potenza complessiva di 3.775 MW.

Circa un mese fa il presidente Putin ha dichiarato di volere portare la quota di produzione nucleare al 25% della domanda entro il 2030. Gli esperti nucleari giudicano questo obiettivo realistico ed insistono sulla necessità di introdurre investimenti privati nella costruzione delle centrali, anche se – ha precisato il direttore di Rosatom - gli eventuali reattori nucleari costruiti con investimenti privati resterebbero sotto controllo dello Stato.

Secondo gli esperti di Rosatom, sulla base del piano di sviluppo nucleare adottato nel 2002, la produzione elettronucleare coprirà circa il 22% della domanda elettrica del Paese già nel 2020, consentendo alla Russia di risparmiare ogni anno 70 miliardi di mc di gas naturale prima del 2010, 105 miliardi di mc prima del 2020 e 150 miliardi di mc/anno al 2030, contribuendo in modo determinante all'applicazione del protocollo di Kyoto.

[Zmajcek]

Russian N-Plants Generate New Record High In 2003

Russia’s nuclear power plants generated a new record high of 148.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2003 – a 5.2% increase on the 141.2 TWh generated in 2002.

The nuclear share in overall electricity production was 16.5% (compared to 15.7% previously), while the nuclear share in European Russia was 22%. Total electricity generation across Russia reached 890 TWh. The average capacity factor for Russia’s nuclear park – the ratio of actual production to the theoretical maximum – was more than 76.3% in 2003 (an increase of 4.6% from 2002) [see News No. 123, 25th March 2003].
Russian nuclear utility Rosenergoatom pointed out that the increased generating efficiency in 2003 accounted for some 8 TWh of the nuclear-generated electricity last year – which the utility said was equivalent to a new 1200-megawatt (MW) unit being added to the grid.
Other developments in 2003 included modernisation work on several first-generation units – including Leningrad-1, Bilibino-1 and Kola-2. Work was also completed at Kola-1, which received a five-year lifetime-extension licence. Russia’s atomic energy ministry, Minatom, said it is satisfied that the Kola-1 licence period could eventually be extended for a total of 15 years. The country’s nuclear regulatory authority, Gosatomnadzor, said it would consider further extensions toward the end of the current five-year extension period.
Toward the end of 2003, the last remaining spent nuclear fuel (SNF) was removed from the closed VVER reactor units one and two of the Novovoronezh nuclear plant. The final batch of 15 containers of SNF left the plant at the end of December and was sent to the country’s SNF reprocessing plant at Mayak. Units one and two had gross capacities of 210 MW and 365 MW respectively. Unit one started commercial operation in 1964 and was shut down in 1988, while unit two started commercial operation in 1970 and was shut down in 1990.
Earlier this month, Minatom announced plans to develop a new generation of high-capacity (VVER-1500) units. Rosenergoatom is expected to order the first of the new units by 2007, when design work is completed, for construction at the Leningrad nuclear plant site by 2012.
Professor Viktor Sidorenko of the Kurchatov Institute’s (KI) Russian Research Centre said the VVER-1500 programme “would make it possible to preserve and enhance Minatom’s and the Russian industry’s position in internal and foreign markets”.
Separately, the timetable for the Kalinin-3 VVER-1000 reactor unit to reach criticality has been adjusted and is now expected to take place during this year.
Source: Rosenergoatom / Nuclear Society of Russia / Minatom / KI
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