MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2020) The upload of nuclear fuel started at new power unit No2 of the Leningrad nuclear power plant-2 (NPP) on Sunday, Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, said.
"The first fuel assembly has been loaded into the reactor," the national generating company said.
Thus, the so-called physical startup has begun at the energy unit. In total, 163 fuel assemblies with nuclear fuel will be loaded into the VVER-1200 reactor. On average, the process takes about two months.
The power unit will be put into commercial operation in 2021. It will replace its "elder brother," the 2nd RBMK-1000 reactor that has worked accident-free for 45 years.
The NPP is located in the town of Sosnovy Bor, some 25 miles to the west of St. Petersburg, on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland.
