First light water reactor at new nuclear plant reaches full power

The first light-water reactor at Russia’s new Kursk II nuclear power plant has reached full power during its commissioning phase. This 1,250 MWe VVER-TOI reactor, connected to the grid in December 2023, underwent a series of tests at various capacity levels to verify its performance and safety. Kursk II is located in western Russia, near the Ukrainian border, and replaces the older Kursk plant, which housed four RBMK-1000 reactors that were shut down between 2021 and 2024. The new facility will feature four advanced VVER-TOI reactors, each with a capacity of 1,250 MWe and an expected service life of up to 100 years. The VVER-TOI design is a third-generation pressurized water reactor (PWR) developed from the Soviet-era VVER technology, known for its inherent safety due to the use of ordinary water as both coolant and neutron moderator. Improvements over previous models include upgraded pressure vessels