Nuclear power in the Soviet Union

At its peak in 1982, nuclear power in the Soviet Union accounted for 6.5% of total electricity consumption and the total nuclear capacity installed was 18 GW.[1] However, nuclear power within the Soviet Union declined severely as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster.

## History

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The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant in 2008.

The first nuclear power plant constructed in the world was the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, built near Moscow on June 26, 1954. It was intended as an experiment to determine the capabilities of nuclear power in supplying a commercial grid. At the beginning of its operation, it produced 5 MWe.[2] The power plant proved successful in its experiment and four years later, the Siberian Nuclear Power Station with a 100 MWe capacity was installed and subsequently increased to 600 MWe. Following the development, commercial power stations were constructed in Beloyarsk, Novo-Voronezh, Kola, Leningrad, and Armenia.[3]

In the year 1960, the Soviet Union had a nuclear power capacity of 605 MWe. By 1975, this capacity was increased to 4.7 GW.[3] At this point, the Soviet Union was committed to developing an aggressive nuclear power program. Throughout the 1970s, approximately 10% of electricity powering the Soviet Union came from Nuclear Power Plants and predictions made by Deputy Minister of Power Energy aimed an increase by approximately 400-500% by the year 2000.[4]

All Soviet power reactors were designed by the Ministry of Medium Machine Building (Sredmash), the key Soviet ministry for administering the Soviet nuclear weapons complex from 1953 until 1989 (when it was reorganized into the Ministry of Atomic Energy and Industry of the USSR). The reactors were ordered and administered, however by the Ministry of Energy and Electrification (Minenergo), which was in charge of power production and plant operation. The differences in institutional culture, priorities, and expertise between these two industries have been argued to be core to understanding the choices made by the Soviet Union in the field of nuclear power, notably in its embrace of the controversial RBMK reactor design, which was developed with a priority on ease of local construction, economical value, and the possibility (never implemented) for dual-use plutonium production — with core safety concerns being either de-prioritized or kept secret.[2]

### Chernobyl accident of April 26, 1986

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On April 26, 1986, an uncontrolled power increase occurred within the core of Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant causing an explosion within the core that destroyed the reactor itself, and vented radioactive materials into the atmosphere and surrounding environment, causing dozens of immediate deaths related to the containment of the accident, and potentially tens of thousands of later deaths from cancer.[5][6] The Chernobyl disaster is one of two disasters ranked as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale for the spread of radioactive material and environmental effects, and there are significant areas of Ukraine and Belarus that are still considered contaminated by the accident.[7]

Following the 1986 accident, stances on nuclear power changed, especially so in the USSR.[8] The incident highlighted the threat of the country's 24 RBMK reactors, which were found to have been created with major operational flaws that cause uncontrollable spikes in energy during a reactor's emergency shutdown procedure.[9] These required re-design or replacement to meet safety standards for operation.[4][10]

The event slowed the nuclear energy program of the Soviet Union, which would not see reinvigoration until after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

## List of reactors for electricity production

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Name  | Location  | SSR | Unit  | Type  | Gross Capacity (MWe)  | Operational  | Status  | Notes

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Armenian | Yerevan | Armenian | 1  | VVER | 408 | 1976-1988  | Closed  | Shutdown after the Spitak Earthquake and Chernobyl accident
2  | VVER  | 440 | 1980-1988, 1995–  | Operational  | Shutdown after the Spitak Earthquake and Chernobyl accident, restarted in 1995. Shutdown expected 2026
Balakovo | Balakovo | Russian | 1  | VVER | 1000 | 1986–  | Operational  |
2  | VVER  | 1000 | 1988–  | Operational  |
3  | VVER  | 1000 | 1989–  | Operational  |
4  | VVER  | 1000 | 1993–  | Operational  |
5  | VVER  | 1000 | Planned 1970s  | Cancelled  |
6  | VVER  | 1000 | Planned 1970s  | Cancelled  |
Beloyarsk | Zarechny, Sverdlovsk Oblast | Russian | 1  | AMB-100  | 108 | 1958-1983  | Closed  |
2  | AMB-200  | 160 | 1962-1990  | Closed  |
3  | BN-600 | 600 | 1969-  | Operational  |
4  | BN-800 | 885 | 1987-  | Operational  |
Chernobyl | Chernobyl | Ukrainian | 1  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1977-1995  | Closed  | Shutdown as a result of the Chernobyl Disaster
2  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1978-1991  | Closed  | Shutdown as a result of fire damage
3  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1981-1995  | Closed  | Shutdown as a result of the Chernobyl Disaster
4  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1983-1986  | Destroyed  | Catastrophic meltdown and explosion — the reactor of the Chernobyl Disaster
5  | RBMK  | 1000 | Planned 1986  | Cancelled  | Postponed to 1989, then cancelled by Chernobyl Disaster
6  | RBMK  | 1000 | Planned 1988  | Cancelled  | Postponed to 1989, then cancelled by Chernobyl Disaster
Ignalina | Visaginas | Lithuanian | 1  | RBMK-1500  | 1360 | 1983-2004  | Closed  | Initially operated at 1500 MW, de-rated to 1360 after the Chernobyl accident.
2  | RBMK-1500  | 1360 | 1987-2009  | Closed  | Meant to come online in 1986, postponed for a year after the Chernobyl accident.
3  | RBMK-1500  | 1500 | Planned 1991  | Cancelled  | Construction cancelled in 1989
4  | RBMK-1500  | 1500 | Planned 1990s  | Cancelled  | Construction cancelled in 1989
Kalinin | Udomlya | Russian | 1  | VVER | 1000 | 1985-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2025
2  | VVER  | 1000 | 1987-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2038
3  | VVER  | 1000 | 2005-  | Operational  |
4  | VVER  | 1000 | 2012-  | Operational  |
Khmelnytskyi | Netishyn | Ukrainian | 1  | VVER  | 1000 | 1973-  | Operational  |
2  | VVER  | 1000 | 1973-  | Operational  |
3  | VVER  | 1000 | Est. 2027  | Under Construction  | Construction stopped in 1980s, restarted in 2018
4  | VVER  | 1000 | Est. 2028  | Under Construction  | Construction stopped in 1980s, restarted in 2018
Kola | Polyarnye Zori | Russian | 1  | VVER | 440 | 1973-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2033
2  | VVER  | 440 | 1975-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2035
3  | VVER  | 440 | 1982-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2042
4  | VVER  | 440 | 1984-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2044
Kursk | Kursk | Russian | 1  | RBMK | 1000 | 1977-2021  | Closed  |
2  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1979-2024  | closed  | Shutdown 2024
3  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1983-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2033[11] Originally expected in 2028, but prolonged by more 5 years
4  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1985-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2035[11] Originally expected in 2030, but prolonged by more 5 year
5  | RBMK  | 1000 | Planned 1991  | Cancelled  | Construction cancelled in 2012, nearly 100% complete
6  | RBMK  | 1000 | Planned 1992  | Cancelled  | Construction cancelled in 1993
Leningrad | Sosnovy Bor | Russian | 1  | RBMK | 1000 | 1974-2018  | Closed  |
2  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1976-2020  | Closed  |
3  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1980-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2025
4  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1981-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2026
Mangyshlak | Aktau | Kazakh | 1  | BN-350  | 350 | 1973-1999  | Closed
Novovoronezh | Novovoronezh | Russian | 1  | VVER | 210 | 1964-1988  | Closed  |
2  | VVER  | 365 | 1970-1990  | Closed  |
3  | VVER  | 417 | 1972-2016  | Closed  |
4  | VVER  | 417 | 1973-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2032
5  | VVER  | 950 | 1981-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2035
Obninsk | Obninsk | Russian | 1  | AM-1  | 5 | 1954-2002  | Closed  | World's first nuclear power plant
Rivne | Varash | Ukrainian | 1  | VVER | 440 | 1981-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2041
2  | VVER  | 440 | 1982-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2042
3  | VVER  | 1000 | 1986-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2041
4  | VVER  | 1000 | 2004-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2064
Smolensk | Smolensk | Russian | 1  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1983-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2027
2  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1985-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2030
3  | RBMK  | 1000 | 1990-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected 2034
4  | RBMK  | 1000 | Planned ~1994  | Cancelled  | Construction cancelled 1993
South Ukraine | Yuzhnoukrainsk | Ukrainian | 1  | VVER  | 1000 | 1983-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2043
2  | VVER  | 1000 | 1985-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2045
3  | VVER  | 1000 | 1989-  | Operational  | Shutdown expected in 2049
4  | VVER  | 1000 | Planned 1991  | Cancelled  | Construction halted in 1989 - cooling capability problem
Zaporizhzhia | Enerhodar | Ukrainian | 1  | VVER | 1000 | 1985-  | Operations Suspended  | Controlled by Russia since 2022
2  | VVER  | 1000 | 1986-  | Operations Suspended  | Controlled by Russia since 2022
3  | VVER  | 1000 | 1987-  | Operations Suspended  | Controlled by Russia since 2022
4  | VVER  | 1000 | 1988-  | Operations Suspended  | Controlled by Russia since 2022
5  | VVER  | 1000 | 1989-  | Operations Suspended  | Controlled by Russia since 2022
6  | VVER  | 1000 | 1996-  | Operations Suspended  | Controlled by Russia since 2022

### Unfinished reactors

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* Russian: Baskhkir [ru], Gorky [ru], Kostroma, South Ural [ru], Voronezh [ru], Tatar [ru]
* Ukrainian: Chyhyryn, Crimean, Kharkiv, Odesa
* Belarusian: Minsk [be]

## See also

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* Energy policy of the Soviet Union
* Uncompleted Soviet nuclear plants [ru]
* Nuclear energy in Armenia
* Belarusian nuclear power plant
* Nuclear energy in Kazakhstan
* Nuclear energy in Lithuania
* Nuclear power in Russia
* Nuclear power in Ukraine

## References

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1. ^ Semenov, B.A. "Nuclear power in the Soviet Union" (PDF). IAEA. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
2. ^ a b Morrissey, John (March 15, 2015). "Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant". Stanford University.
3. ^ a b Zheludev, I.S. "Nuclear power in the USSR" (PDF). IAEA. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
4. ^ a b Walker, Martin. "The vision consumed in the fire this time". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
5. ^ "Chernobyl Accident 1986". World Nuclear. May 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
6. ^ "What was the death toll from Chernobyl and Fukushima?". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
7. ^ "Level 7 Major Nuclear Accidents: Chernobyl Death Toll and Fukushima". HuffPost. 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
8. ^ Walker, Christopher (15 May 2019). "Accident a blow to expanding energy industry". The Times. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
9. ^ Karpan, N. V. (2006). Chernobyl. IKK "Balans-Klub". ISBN 9789668135217. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
10. ^ Tucker, Anthony. "Chernobyl factors". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
11. ^ a b "Атом задерживается". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2023-06-04.