Russia is one of the world's largest producers of nuclear energy. In 2020 total electricity generated in nuclear power plants in Russia was 215.746 TWh, 20.28% of all power generation. [1] The installed gross capacity of Russian nuclear reactors is 29.4 GW in December 2020.
In accord with legislation passed in 2001, all Russian civil reactors are operated by Energoatom. More recently in 2007 Russian Parliament adopted the law "On the peculiarities of the management and disposition of the property and shares of organizations using nuclear energy and on relevant changes to some legislative acts of the Russian Federation", which created Atomenergoprom - a holding company for all Russian civil nuclear industry, including Energoatom, nuclear fuel producer and supplier TVEL, uranium trader Tekhsnabexport (Tenex) and nuclear facilities constructor Atomstroyexport.
Operating reactors, building new reactors |
The overnight cost of construction in the seventies was a low 800 $/kW in 2016 dollars. [2] In 2019 a S&P Global Ratings report stated Russia's nuclear construction costs were well below European levels because of vertical integration, good learning-curve effects from serial production, and the large currency devaluation of 2014. [3]
The Russian nuclear industry employs around 200,000 people. [4] Russia is recognized for its nuclear disaster expertise and for the safety of its technology. Statements made in review of Russian reactor safety [8] that "Requirements on placing the nuclear installation should not contain additional restrictions in comparison with other industrial facilities," suggest that nuclear plants could be placed within cities and are not considered to pose exceptional dangers. [5] [6] [7] [8] Russia is also pursuing an ambitious plan to increase sales of Russian-built reactors overseas, [9] and had 39 reactors under construction or planned overseas as of 2018. [10]
The VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor is the system currently offered for construction, being an evolution of the VVER-1000 with increased power output to about 1200 MWe (gross) and providing additional passive safety features. [11] In August 2016 the first VVER-1200, Novovoronezh II-1, was connected to the grid. [12]
Through its membership in the multi-nation ITER project, Russia participates in the design of nuclear fusion reactors.
In 2013 the Russian state allocated 80.6 billion rubles ($2.4 billion) toward the growth of its nuclear industry, especially export projects where Russian companies build, own and operate the power station, such as the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. [13]
In 2016 initial plans were announced to build 11 new nuclear power reactors by 2030, including the first VVER-600, a smaller two cooling circuit version of the VVER-1200, designed for smaller regions and markets. [14] Outline plans for near-surface disposal facilities for low and intermediate-level waste, and deep burial disposal facilities for high-level waste were also approved in the Krasnoyarsk Krai region. [14]
In October 2017 Rosatom was reported to be considering postponing commissioning new nuclear plants in Russia due to excess generation capacity and that new nuclear electricity prices are higher than for existing plant. The Russian government is considering reducing support for new nuclear under its support contracts, called Dogovor Postavki Moshnosti (DPM), which guarantee developers a return on investment through increased payments from consumers for 20 years. [15] In 2019 a S&P Global Ratings report stated that "We expect domestic nuclear capacity to increase only moderately because electricity demand in Russia is stagnating, given only modest GDP growth, a significant potential for energy savings, and the government's intention to avoid raising electricity prices through additional increases in capacity payments". [3]
Russia's first-floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov, is equipped to provide power to a remote Russian town on the Bering Strait. The nuclear unit features small modular reactors (SMRs) technology. [16]
Eleven of Russia's reactors are of the RBMK 1000 type, similar to the one at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Some of these RBMK reactors were originally to be shut down but have instead been given life extensions and uprated in output by about 5%. Critics say that these reactors are of an "inherently unsafe design", which cannot be improved through upgrades and modernization, and some reactor parts are impossible to replace. Russian environmental groups say that the lifetime extensions "violate Russian law, because the projects have not undergone environmental assessments". [17]
Plant name | Unit No. | Type | Model | Status | Capacity (MW) | Begin building | Commercial operation | Closed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akademik Lomonosov | 1 | PWR | KLT-40S | Operational | 32 | 15 Apr 2007 | 19 Dec 2019 [18] | |
2 | PWR | KLT-40S | Operational | 32 | 15 Apr 2007 | 19 Dec 2019 | ||
Balakovo | 1 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 Dec 1980 | 23 May 1986 | |
2 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 Aug 1981 | 18 Jan 1988 | ||
3 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 Nov 1982 | 8 Apr 1989 | ||
4 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 Apr 1984 | 22 Dec 1993 | ||
Beloyarsk | 1 | LWGR | AMB-100 | Shut down | 102 | 1 Jun 1958 | 26 Apr 1964 | 1 Jan 1983 |
2 | LWGR | AMB-200 | Shut down | 146 | 1 Jan 1962 | 1 Dec 1969 | 1 Jan 1990 | |
3 | SFR | BN-600 | Operational | 560 | 1 Jan 1969 | 1 Nov 1981 | ||
4 | SFR | BN-800 | Operational | 789 | 18 Jul 2006 | 10 Dec 2015 | ||
5 | SFR | BN-1200 | Planned | 1100 | ||||
Bilibino | 1 | LWGR | EGP-6 | Shut down | 11 | 1 Jan 1970 | 1 Apr 1974 | 14 Jan 2019 |
2 | LWGR | EGP-6 | Operational | 11 | 1 Jan 1970 | 1 Feb 1975 | ||
3 | LWGR | EGP-6 | Operational | 11 | 1 Jan 1970 | 1 Feb 1976 | ||
4 | LWGR | EGP-6 | Operational | 11 | 1 Jan 1970 | 1 Jan 1977 | ||
Kalinin | 1 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-338 | Operational | 950 | 1 Feb 1977 | 12 Jun 1985 | |
2 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-338 | Operational | 950 | 1 Feb 1982 | 3 Mar 1987 | ||
3 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 Oct 1985 | 8 Nov 2005 | ||
4 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 Aug 1986 | 25 Dec 2012 | ||
Kaliningrad | 1 | PWR | VVER-1200/V-491 | Under construction (suspended) [19] | 1109 | 22 Feb 2012 | ||
2 | PWR | VVER-1200/V-491 | Planned | 1109 | ||||
Kola | 1 | PWR | VVER-440/V-230 | Operational | 441 | 1 May 1970 | 28 Dec 1973 | |
2 | PWR | VVER-440/V-230 | Operational | 441 | 1 May 1970 | 21 Feb 1975 | ||
3 | PWR | VVER-440/V-213 | Operational | 441 | 1 Apr 1977 | 3 Dec 1982 | ||
4 | PWR | VVER-440/V-213 | Operational | 441 | 1 Aug 1976 | 6 Dec 1984 | ||
Kola II [19] [20] | 1 | PWR | VVER-S-600 | Planned | 600 | (2028) | (2034) | |
2 | PWR | VVER-S-600 | Planned | 600 | (2028) | (2034) | ||
Kostroma | 1 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1300 | 1979 | ||
2 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1300 | 1979 | |||
3 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1300 | 1979 | |||
4 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1300 | 1979 | |||
Kursk | 1 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Shut down | 925 | 1 Jun 1972 | 12 Oct 1977 | 19 Dec 2021 |
2 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Shut down | 925 | 1 Jan 1973 | 17 Aug 1979 | 31 Jan 2024 [21] | |
3 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Operational | 925 | 1 Apr 1978 | 30 Mar 1984 | ||
4 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Operational | 925 | 1 May 1981 | 5 Feb 1986 | ||
5 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Unfinished | 925 | 1985 | |||
6 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Unfinished | 925 | 1985 | |||
Kursk II | 1 | PWR | VVER-TOI/V-510 | Under construction | 1115 | 29 Apr 2018 | ||
2 | PWR | VVER-TOI/V-510 | Under construction | 1115 | 15 Apr 2019 [22] | |||
3 | PWR | VVER-TOI | Planned | 1115 | ||||
4 | PWR | VVER-TOI | Planned | 1115 | ||||
Leningrad | 1 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Shut down | 925 | 1 Mar 1970 | 1 Nov 1974 | 21 Dec 2018 [23] |
2 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Shut down | 925 | 1 Jun 1970 | 11 Feb 1976 | 10 Nov 2020 | |
3 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Operational | 925 | 1 Dec 1973 | 29 Jun 1980 | ||
4 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Operational | 925 | 1 Feb 1975 | 29 Aug 1981 | ||
Leningrad II [24] | 1 | PWR | VVER-1200/V-491 | Operational | 1085 | 25 Oct 2008 | 29 Oct 2018 | |
2 | PWR | VVER-1200/V-491 | Operational | 1085 | 15 Apr 2010 | 22 Mar 2021 | ||
3 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1085 | (2024) [25] | (2030) | ||
4 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1085 | (2025) | (2032) | ||
MPEB No. 1 [26] [27] [28] | 1 | PWR | RITM-200S | Under construction | 53 | 30 Aug 2022 [29] | (2027) | |
2 | PWR | RITM-200S | Under construction | 53 | 30 Aug 2022 [29] | (2027) | ||
MPEB No. 2 | 1 | PWR | RITM-200S | Planned | 53 | (2022) | (2027) | |
2 | PWR | RITM-200S | Planned | 53 | (2022) | (2027) | ||
MPEB No. 3 | 1 | PWR | RITM-200S | Planned | 53 | (2022) | (2028) | |
2 | PWR | RITM-200S | Planned | 53 | (2022) | (2028) | ||
MPEB No. 4 | 1 | PWR | RITM-200S | Planned | 53 | (2022) | (2031) | |
2 | PWR | RITM-200S | Planned | 53 | (2022) | (2031) | ||
Nizhny Novgorod | 1 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1300 | |||
2 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1300 | ||||
3 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1300 | ||||
4 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1300 | ||||
Novovoronezh | 1 | PWR | VVER/V-210 | Shut down | 197 | 1 Jul 1957 | 31 Dec 1964 | 16 Feb 1988 |
2 | PWR | VVER/V-365 | Shut down | 336 | 1 Jun 1964 | 14 Apr 1970 | 29 Aug 1990 | |
3 | PWR | VVER-440/V-179 | Shut down | 385 | 1 Jul 1967 | 29 Jun 1972 | 25 Dec 2016 | |
4 | PWR | VVER 440/V-179 | Operational | 385 | 1 Jul 1967 | 24 Mar 1973 | ||
5 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-187 | Operational | 950 | 1 Mar 1974 | 20 Feb 1981 | ||
Novovoronezh II | 1 | PWR | VVER-1200/V-392M | Operational | 1114 | 24 Jun 2008 | 27 Feb 2017 | |
2 | PWR | VVER-1200/V-392M | Operational | 1114 | 12 Jul 2009 | 6 Nov 2019 | ||
3 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1175 | ||||
4 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Planned | 1175 | ||||
Obninsk | 1 | LWGR | AM-1 | Shut down | 5 | 1 Jan 1951 | 1 Dec 1954 | 29 Apr 2002 |
Rostov | 1 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 Sep 1981 | 25 Dec 2001 | |
2 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 1 May 1983 | 10 Dec 2010 | ||
3 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 950 | 15 Sep 2009 | 27 Dec 2014 | ||
4 | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | Operational | 1011 | 16 Jun 2010 | 28 Sep 2018 | ||
Sakha | 1 | PWR | RITM-200N | Planned | 55 | (2024) [30] | (2028) | |
Seversk | 1 | FBR | BREST-300 | Under construction | 280 | 8 Jun 2021 [31] | (2026) | |
South Urals | 1 | FBR | BN-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1100 | 1982 | ||
2 | FBR | BN-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1100 | 1982 | |||
3 | FBR | BN-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1100 | 1982 | |||
Smolensk | 1 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Operational | 925 | 1 Oct 1975 | 30 Sep 1983 | |
2 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Operational | 925 | 1 Jun 1976 | 2 Jul 1985 | ||
3 | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | Operational | 925 | 1 May 1984 | 12 Oct 1990 | ||
Smolensk II [32] [33] | 1 | PWR | VVER-TOI | Planned | 1300 | |||
2 | PWR | VVER-TOI | Planned | 1300 | ||||
Tatar | 1 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1300 | 1980 | ||
2 | PWR | VVER-1200 | Unfinished; restart planned | 1300 | 1980 |
Country | NPP Reactor | Type | MWe net | MWe gross | Construction start | Commercially operational |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bangladesh | Ruppur-1 | VVER-1200/523 | 1080 | 1200 | 2017-11-30 | 2024 |
Ruppur-2 | VVER-1200/523 | 1080 | 1200 | 2018-07-14 | 2025 | |
Belarus | Belarusian-1 | VVER-1200/491 | 1110 | 1194 | 2013-11-08 | 2021-06-10 |
Belarusian-2 | VVER-1200/491 | 1110 | 1194 | 2014-06-03 | 2023 | |
China | Tianwan-1 | VVER-1000/428 | 990 | 1060 | 1999-10-20 | 2007-05-17 |
Tianwan-2 | VVER-1000/428 | 990 | 1060 | 2000-10-20 | 2007-08-16 | |
Tianwan-3 | VVER-1000/428М | 1060 | 1126 | 2012-12-27 | 2018-02-14 | |
Tianwan-4 | VVER-1000/428М | 1060 | 1126 | 2013-09-27 | 2018-12-22 | |
Tianwan-7 | VVER-1200/491 | 1100 | 1200 | 2021-05-19 | 2026 | |
Tianwan-8 | VVER-1200/491 | 1100 | 1200 | 2022-02-25 | 2027 | |
Xudabao-3 | VVER-1200/491 | 1100 | 1200 | 2021-07-28 | 2026 | |
Xudabao-4 | VVER-1200/491 | 1100 | 1200 | 2022-05-19 | 2027 | |
Egypt | El Dabaa-1 | VVER-1200/529 | 1100 | 1200 | 2022-07-20 | |
El Dabaa-2 | VVER-1200/529 | 1100 | 1200 | 2022-11-19 | ||
El Dabaa-3 | VVER-1200/529 | 1100 | 1200 | 2023-05-03 | ||
El Dabaa-4 | VVER-1200/529 | 1100 | 1200 | 2024-01-23 | ||
Finland | Hanhikivi-1 | VVER-1200/AES-2006 | 1200 | cancelled | cancelled | |
India | Kudankulam-1 | VVER-1000/412 | 932 | 1000 | 2002-03-31 | 2014-12-31 |
Kudankulam-2 | VVER-1000/412 | 932 | 1000 | 2002-07-04 | 2017-03-31 | |
Kudankulam-3 | VVER-1000/412 | 917 | 1000 | 2017-06-29 | 2025 | |
Kudankulam-4 | VVER-1000/412 | 917 | 1000 | 2017-10-23 | 2025 | |
Kudankulam-5 | VVER-1000/412 | 917 | 1000 | 2021-06-29 | 2027 | |
Kudankulam-6 | VVER-1000/412 | 917 | 1000 | 2021-12-20 | 2027 | |
Iran | Bushehr-1 | VVER-1000/446 | 915 | 1000 | 1975-05-01 (1995) | 2013-09-23 |
Bushehr-2 | VVER-1000/446 | 915 | 1000 | 2016-09-10 | 2025 | |
Bushehr-3 | VVER-1000/446 | 915 | 1000 | 2016-09-10 | 2027 | |
Turkey | Akkuyu-1 | VVER-1200/509 | 1114 | 1200 | 2018-04-03 | 2023 |
Akkuyu-2 | VVER-1200/509 | 1114 | 1200 | 2020-04-08 | 2024 | |
Akkuyu-3 | VVER-1200/509 | 1114 | 1200 | 2021-03-10 | 2025 | |
Akkuyu-4 | VVER-1200/509 | 1114 | 1200 | 2022-07-21 | 2026 | |
Ukraine | Khmelnytskyi-3/4 | VVER-1000/392B | 950 | 1000 | cancelled | cancelled |
Vietnam | Ninh Thuan 1-1/2 | VVER-1000/428 | 950 | 1000 | cancelled | cancelled |
Ninh Thuan 1-3/4 | VVER-1000/428 | 950 | 1000 | cancelled | cancelled |
In addition Atomstroyexport challenging NPP projects list contains: [34]
In March 2022, Russian captured the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, now operated by Rosatom.
In August 2022, the Hungarian Nuclear Energy Authority authorized Rosatom to expand the nuclear power plant at Paks with two new VVER reactors with capacity of 1.2 gigawatts each. [36]
Russia, responding to the 2011 Japanese nuclear accidents, will perform a 'stress test' on all its reactors "to judge their ability to withstand earthquakes more powerful than the original design anticipated". [37]
Rosatom, also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, or Rosatom State Corporation, is a Russian state corporation headquartered in Moscow that specializes in nuclear energy, nuclear non-energy goods and high-tech products. It was established in 2007 and comprises more than 350 enterprises, including scientific research organizations, a nuclear weapons complex, and the world's only nuclear icebreaker fleet.
The Kola Nuclear Power Plant, also known as Kolsk NPP or Kolskaya NPP, is a nuclear power plant located 12 km away from Polyarnye Zori, Murmansk Oblast in north-western Russia. If the floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov is excluded, it is the northernmost nuclear power plant housed in a fixed location structure.
The water-water energetic reactor (WWER), or VVER is a series of pressurized water reactor designs originally developed in the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. The idea of such a reactor was proposed at the Kurchatov Institute by Savely Moiseevich Feinberg. VVER were originally developed before the 1970s, and have been continually updated. As a result, the name VVER is associated with a wide variety of reactor designs spanning from generation I reactors to modern generation III+ reactor designs. Power output ranges from 70 to 1300 MWe, with designs of up to 1700 MWe in development. The first prototype VVER-210 was built at the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant.
Generation III reactors, or Gen III reactors, are a class of nuclear reactors designed to succeed Generation II reactors, incorporating evolutionary improvements in design. These include improved fuel technology, higher thermal efficiency, significantly enhanced safety systems, and standardized designs intended to reduce maintenance and capital costs. They are promoted by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF).
The Belene Nuclear Power Plant is an abandoned nuclear power plant 3 km from Belene and 11 km from Svishtov in Pleven Province, northern Bulgaria, near the Danube River. It was intended to substitute four VVER-440 V230 reactors of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant that were decommissioned as a prerequisite for Bulgaria to join the European Union.
The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP), also known as the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, is the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus, located 36 kilometers west of Yerevan in Armenia.
Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant ) is a nuclear power plant located in the town of Sosnovy Bor in Russia's Leningrad Oblast, on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, some 70 kilometres (43 mi) to the west of the city centre of Saint Petersburg.
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Kudankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Construction on the plant began on 31 March 2002, but faced several delays due to opposition from local fishermen. KKNPP is scheduled to have six VVER-1000 reactors built in collaboration with Atomstroyexport, the Russian state company and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW of electricity.
Floating nuclear power stations are vessels designed by Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation. They are self-contained, low-capacity, floating nuclear power plants. Rosatom plans to mass-produce the stations at shipbuilding facilities and then tow them to ports near locations that require electricity.
The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located in western Russia on the bank of the Seym River about 40 kilometers west of the city of Kursk. The nearby town of Kurchatov was founded when construction of the plant began. The plant feeds the grid for Kursk Oblast and 19 other regions.
The Novovoronezh nuclear power station is a nuclear power station close to Novovoronezh in Voronezh Oblast, central Russia. The power station was vital to the development of the VVER design: every unit built was essentially a prototype of its design. On this site is built the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II.
Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant (NPP) on the coast of the Yellow Sea, approximately 30 kilometers east of downtown Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. The plant's owner is Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, a joint venture with majority owner a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
Atomstroyexport is the Russian Federation's nuclear power equipment and service exporter. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Rosatom. The activities of Atomstroyexport are financially supported by the Russian government. The President of ASE Group of Companies is Alexander Lokshin.
The Astravets Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located in the Astravyets District, Grodno Region in north-western Belarus. The power plant is built close to the Belarus-Lithuania border, being 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. The plant is powered by two 1194-MW VVER-1200 units supplied by Atomstroyexport, the nuclear equipment exporter branch of the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom. The plant is owned by State Enterprise Belarusian NPP, which in turn is owned by the state-owned operator Belenergo.
Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II is a Russian nuclear power plant with two 1200 MW pressurized water reactors (VVER) located in Voronezh Oblast. The power plant is built on the same site as the present Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant.
The Kaliningrad Nuclear Power Plant (also referred as Baltic Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) or Baltiiskaya NPP, Russian: Калининградская атомная электростанция; Калининградская АЭС [] or Балтийская АЭС []) is a nuclear power plant under construction 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) south-east of Neman, in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is seen as a counter-project to the (later scrapped) plan to build the Visaginas nuclear power plant in Lithuania and is considered not only as an energy, but also as a geopolitical project. Originally intending to commission the reactors in 2016 and 2018, construction was temporarily stopped in June 2013 for the project to be redesigned for lower power output after neighbouring countries showed no interest in importing its electricity. However, the downgrade was later discarded. No export partners materialised as of 2021 and the project remains in stand-by.
Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station in Russia. It is located in the Smolensk region, in Desnogorsk province, approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Smolensk, 115 kilometres (71 mi) from Bryansk and 320 kilometres (200 mi) from Moscow. Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is the biggest power generating station in the north-western region of the united energy system of the Russian Federation. Smolensk NPP has an outer appearance similar to that of Chernobyl NPP units 3-4, as both are later generation RBMKs.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is a large nuclear power plant in Turkey under construction located in Akkuyu, Büyükeceli, Mersin Province. It is expected to generate around 10% of the country's electricity when completed.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (Bengali: রূপপুর পারমাণবিক বিদ্যুৎকেন্দ্র) is a 2.4 GWe nuclear power plant project in Bangladesh. The nuclear power plant is being constructed at Rooppur of Ishwardi Upazila on the bank of the river Padma, 87 miles (140 km) west of Dhaka. It will be the country's first nuclear power plant, and the first of the two units is expected to go into operation in 2024. The VVER-1200/523 Nuclear reactor and critical infrastructures are being built by the Russian Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation. In the main construction period, the total number of employees will reach 12,500, including 2,500 specialists from Russia. It is expected to generate around 15% of the country's electricity when completed.