OREANDA-NEWS The first two units of the new Kursk NPP-2 are scheduled to start operating before 2027, which will replace decommissioned power units No. 1 and No. 2 of the current plant, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.

"Innovative reactors with improved technical and economic indicators have been developed, equipped with the latest safety systems. The first two power units of this type will be operational at one of Russia's four largest nuclear power plants, Kursk NPP-2, by 2027," Novak wrote in his author's article for the Energy Policy magazine.
He noted that their commissioning will allow replacing decommissioned power units No. 1 and No. 2 of the current station.

"The solutions and technologies that will be used at Kursk NPP-2 will then be replicated not only in our country, but also during the construction of nuclear power plants abroad based on Russian projects," Novak added.

Kursk NPP (Kurchatov, Kursk region) is one of the largest generating sources of electricity in the Central Russian Chernozem region. Consumers of its electricity are 19 regions of Central Russia. The plant consists of three power units with channel reactors with a total capacity of 3 GW.

Power units No. 1 and No. 2 of the replacement plant (Kursk NPP-2) with a new type of VVER-TOI reactor are currently under construction. Their design service life is 60 years, with the possibility of extending it for another 20 years. In 2025, Rostechnadzor issued a license for the placement of nuclear installations of new power units No. 3 and No. 4 of Kursk NPP-2, which means that preparatory work can begin on the site where the new units will be located. Kursk NPP-2 is part of a large-scale plan for the development of nuclear energy in Russia.