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VVER Reactors
                                         


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VVER Reactors

VVER is the Soviet (and now, Russian Federation) designation for light water pressurized reactor.  In western countries, the PWR is used as the acronym.    For the general public, the perception may be that all Soviet-designed reactors are identical to (or at least similar to) the reactors at Chernobyl.    The Chernobyl reactor, however, is a light-water cooled, graphite-moderated reactor (LGR).  It is considered by many experts to be a flawed design that is vulnerable to fire.  Around the time LGRs were coming on line in the Soviet Union, early VVERs were also coming on line, many with safety innovations based on western designs. 

The international community has encouraged the shutdown of various LGRs, but the need for electric power and the employment the power plants provide have made this a lengthy process.  After unit 4 was destroyed by fire at Chernobyl, the other 3 units were returned to service and one continued to operate into the 21st century.  Recently, Lithuania agreed to shut down its two LGR units at Ignalina.  The units provide nearly 80 percent of the country’s electricity, making this a very difficult economic decision.

The Russian Federation continues to build VVER units.  While any Russian-built unit may suffer from the image of the disaster to Chernobyl 4, the new units conform to international standards and have developed an export market. More information on the safety and characteristics of VVER and other Russian models is available on another web site.

Updated with data on China, Czech Republic, and India.

           VVER Reactors On Line or Under Construction
           (as of December 31, 2003)

Unit Name

Capacity
(Gross Mwe)

Location

Status

Units in Russia and Ukraine

Balakovo 1

1,000

Balakovo,
Saratov Russia

Operational

Balakovo 2

1,000

Balakovo,
Saratov Russia

Operational

Balakovo 3

1,000

Balakovo,
Saratov Russia

Operational

Balakovo 4

1,000

Balakovo,
Saratov Russia

Operational

Kalinin 1

1,000

Udolmlya,
Tver Russia

Operational

Kalinin 2

1,000

Udolmlya,
Tver Russia

Operational

Khemelnitski 1

1,000

Neteshin, Khemelnitski,
Ukraine

Operational

Kola 1

440

Polyarnyye Zori,
Murmansk, Russia

Operational

Kola 2

440

Polyarnyye Zori,
Murmansk, Russia

Operational

Kola 3

440

Polyarnyye Zori,
Murmansk, Russia

Operational

Kola 4

440

Polyarnyye Zori,
Murmansk, Russia

Operational

Novovoronezh 3

418

Novovoronezhskiy,
Voronezh, Russia

Operational

Novovoronezh 4

440

Novovoronezhskiy,
Voronezh, Russia

Operational

Novovoronezh 5

1,000

Novovoronezhskiy,
Voronezh, Russia

Operational

Rostov 1

1,000

Rostov, Russia

Operational

Rovno 1

440

Kuznetsovsk,
Rovno, Ukraine

Operational

Rovno 2

440

Kuznetsovsk,
Rovno Ukraine

Operational

Rovno 3

1,000

Kuznetsovsk,
Rovno Ukraine

Operational

South Ukraine 1

1,000

Konstantinovka,
Nikolae Ukraine

Operational

South Ukraine 2

1,000

Konstantinovka,
Nikolae Ukraine

Operational

South Ukraine 3

1,000

Konstantinovka,
Nikolae Ukraine

Operational

Zaporzhe 1

1,000

Energodar,
Zaporzhe Ukraine

Operational

Zaporzhe 2

1,000

Energodar,
Zaporzhe Ukraine

Operational

Zaporzhe 3

1,000

Energodar,
Zaporzhe Ukraine

Operational

Zaporzhe 4

1,000

Energodar,
Zaporzhe Ukraine

Operational

Zaporzhe 5

1,000

Energodar,
Zaporzhe Ukraine

Operational

Zaporzhe 6

1,000

Energodar,
Zaporzhe Ukraine

Operational

Units Built Outside Russia and Ukraine

Country

Unit Name

Capacity
(Gross Mwe)

Status

Armenia

Armenia 2

408

Operational

Bulgaria

Kozloduy 1

440

Operational

Bulgaria

Kozloduy 2

440

Operational

Bulgaria

Kozloduy 3

440

Operational

Bulgaria

Kozloduy 4

440

Operational

Bulgaria

Kozloduy 5

1,000

Operational

Bulgaria

Kozloduy 6

1,000

Operational

China

Tianwan 1

1,000

Operational

China

Tianwan 2

1,000

Under Construction

Czech Republic Dukovany 1
440
Operational
Czech Republic Dukovany 2
440
Operational
Czech Republic Dukovany 3
440
Operational
Czech Republic Dukovany 4
440
Operational
Czech Republic Temelin 1
981
Operational
Czech Republic Temelin 2
981
Operational

Finland

Loviisa 1

510

Operational

Finland

Loviisa 2

510

Operational

Hungary

Paks 1

467

Operational

Hungary

Paks  2

468

Operational

Hungary

Paks 3

460

Operational

Hungary

Paks 4

471

Operational

India Kudankulam-1
1,000
Under Construction*
India Kudankulam-2
1,000
Planned

Iran

Bushehr 1

 

Under Construction

Iran

Bushehr 2

 

Under Construction

Slovak Republic

Bohunice 1

440

Operational

Slovak Republic

Bohunice 2

440

Operational


   *Editor’s note: The Kudankulam reactors, largest in India, are being built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, Ltd. (NPCIL) with Russian assistance under an agreement signed in Moscow. According to The Hindu, half of the funding is being supplied by the Russians as a loan. The article also reports that the project is ahead of schedule.