Output of Russian nuclear plants expected to drop in next three years

MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) - Rosenergoatom, the operator of Russia's nuclear power plants (NPP), expects their output to decline in the next three years after growing in previous years, the company's first deputy CEO for NPP operations, Alexander Shutikov said in an interview with in-house newspaper Strana Rosatom.

"By optimizing maintenance and increasing the efficiency of electricity production, we managed to maintain constant growth in output until 2023, but there are no miracles. Output in the next three years will be lower. We know this and are ready for this," Shutikov said.

He recalled that the company constantly increased output in the past three years. Last year's output of 223 billion kWh was "another record," the company reported earlier.

The company needs to tackle modernization and in a number of cases "this will require long downtimes," Shutikov said. "In general, the objectives for 2023 are to reduce to a minimum the possible shortfall in electricity output and shortfall in commercial product in the form of rubles for undelivered capacity for units that operate under capacity supply agreements," he said.

Retired capacity will be partially offset with the launch of new capacity. In 2025, for example, the company expects to launch the first unit of Kursk NPP-2 with a VVER-TOI reactor.

"We made a decision on an additional five years of operation for second generation RBMK reactors - these are units Nos. 3 and 4 at the Leningrad plant, Nos. 3 and 4 at the Kursk plant and all three units at the Smolensk plant. In other words, now the additional period of their operation will be limited to 50 years, not 45," Shutikov said.

Nuclear power currently generates about 20% of all electricity in Russia.