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VVER-1000 Plant Layout

1.Horizontal steam generator, 2.Reactor coolant pump, 3.Containment building, 4. Refueling crane, 5.Control rod assemblies, 6.Reactor vessel.

Third-Generation VVERs

The VVER-1000 design was developed between 1975 and 1985 based on the requirements of a new Soviet nuclear standard that incorporated some international practices, particularly in the area of plant safety. The VVER-1000 design was intended to be used for many plants, and 17 units now operate in two former Soviet republics: 

   Russia                  Balakovo 1-4
                           Kalinin 1-2
                           Novovoronezh 5

   Ukraine                 Rovno 3
                           Khmelnitskiy 1
                           South Ukraine 1-3
                           Zaporozhye 1-5

Two VVER-1000 units were built outside the former Soviet Union: 

   Bulgaria                Kozloduy 5 and 6

Work was stopped on two other VVER-1000 units in Bulgaria (Belene 1 and 2) after public protests over claims of unsuitable soil and seismic conditions.

The Hungarian government canceled Paks 5 and 6 in 1989.

Construction of two VVER-1000 units at Stendal, in the former East Germany, was halted following reunification with West Germany.

A total of 25 VVER-1000 units are at some stage of construction in the former Soviet Union -- 15 in Russia and 10 in Ukraine. But in 1992, construction on 11 of these units in Russia, and seven in Ukraine, had reportedly been canceled or deferred indefinitely.

Russia's 20-year nuclear plant construction plan, approved by the Russian government in December 1992 but stalled because of scarce funding, included six VVER- 1000 units (four with enhanced safety features). One unit is in operation (Balakovo-4) and two units are under construction.

Principal Strengths:

  • Steel-lined, pre-stressed, large-volume concrete containment structure, similar in function to Western nuclear plants.

  • "Evolutionary" design incorporating safety improvements over VVER-440 Model V213 plants. The Soviet approach to standardization was based on continued use of components that had performed well in earlier plants.

  • Use of four coolant loops and horizontal steam generators -- both considered improvements by Soviet designers.

  • Redesigned fuel assemblies that allow better flow of coolant, and improved control rods.

  • Plant worker radiation levels reportedly lower than in many Western plants, apparently due to selection of materials, high- capacity system for purifying primary coolant, and water- chemistry control.

    Principal Deficiencies:

  • Substandard plant instrumentation and controls. Wiring of emergency electrical system and reactor-protection system does not meet Western standards for separation -- control and safety functions are interconnected in ways that may allow failure of a control system to prevent operation of a safety system.

  • Fire-protection systems that do not appear to differ substantially from earlier VVER models, which do not meet Western standards.

  • Quality-control, design and construction significantly deficient by U.S. standards.

  • Protection measures for control-room operators essentially unchanged from earlier VVER-440 Model V213 design, which does not meet U.S. standards. Unlike all U.S. nuclear plants, and most in Western countries, VVER-1000s have no on-site "technical support center" to serve as a command post for stabilizing the plant in an emergency. Technical support centers were incorporated in U.S. and many Western nuclear plants following the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 in 1979.

  • Operating and emergency procedures that fall far short of Western standards and vary greatly among operators of VVER-1000 plants.

    Source: NEI Source Book

    List of other VVER-1000 related documents