The Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has issued licences to the state-owned nuclear company Rosatom for the construction of new installations for Leningrad nuclear power plant's planned Units 7 and 8. Rosatom expects about 150 buildings and structures to be erected at the site over the next few years, with the aim of getting to the stage of loading fuel into the two new VVER-1200 reactors in 2029 and 2031. Units 7 and 8 are expected to enter commercial operations in 2030 and 2032 respectively. The permit granted by Rostekhnadzor is valid for 15 years.
The Leningrad nuclear power plant is one of the largest in Russia, with an installed capacity of 4.4 GW, and provides more than 55% of the electricity demand of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region, or about 30% of all the electricity in north-west Russia. Leningrad-1 shut down in 2018 after 45 years of operation, while Leningrad-2, also a 1,000 MW RBMK unit, was permanently shut down in November 2020. New VVER-1200 units were commissioned (Units 5 and 6), while Units 7 and 8 will replace Units 3 and 4, as they are due to be shut in the coming years.
In 2022, nuclear represented 11% of Russia’s installed capacity with 29.5 GW and 19% of its power generation with 223 TWh. More than 4 GW of nuclear capacity is currently under construction and over 33 GW under development in the country.
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