Rosatom can build a two-block nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1.2 GW in the Far East

According to Kommersant, Rosatom is studying the possibility of building a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1.2 GW in the Far East. According to preliminary estimates, the nuclear power plant will consist of two VVER-type power units with a capacity of 600 MW, which do not yet have references. The head of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said at the EEF 2023 that the construction of the nuclear power plant will also allow for the export of electricity; regulators plan to decide on the site next year. Investments in the construction of a two-unit nuclear power plant using new technology, according to analysts, will amount to $5–7 billion.

The capacity of the nuclear power plant that Rosatom plans to build in the Far East could be up to 1.2 GW, a source familiar with the discussion of the project told Kommersant. According to him, the nuclear power plant will optimally consist of two VVER-600 reactors. He found it difficult to name the timeframe for completion of construction; it is probably about the interval between 2035 (the general layout of energy facilities for this period has already been approved) and 2042.

What will be the mechanism for financing the construction of nuclear power plants – Rosatom’s own funds or an analogue of a power supply agreement (PDM, which guarantees a return on investment through the wholesale energy market) has not yet been decided, Kommersant’s interlocutor said. Rosatom did not comment on the information to Kommersant.

The head of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said on September 12 at the EEF-2023 that “the creation of large generating capacities in the Far East is being seriously considered – this is the Primorsky Territory, Khabarovsk.” “And in this sense, additional conditions arise not only for the development of industry, but also for the possible export of electricity,” he noted, making it clear that the discussion is being conducted as part of the work on the general scheme for the deployment of energy capacities until 2042.

Due to the limitations of the electrical grid infrastructure in the Far East, medium-sized power units are required, while Rosatom’s standard designs are large reactors such as VVER-1000 and VVER-1200. Rosatom does not yet have commercial samples of middle blocks. It is assumed that reference reactors VVER-600 will appear at the Kola NPP-2 in 2028 and 2034 to replace those being decommissioned.

As the head of the Ministry of Energy Nikolai Shulginov reported at the WEF site, during 2025 it is planned to determine where exactly the nuclear power plant can be located in the Far East. Previously, he named the south of Primorye as a possible site.

The possibility of building nuclear power plants in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories was studied back in Soviet times; in the post-Soviet period, options for building a two-unit Primorskaya NPP with a capacity of 600 MW or 1 GW were considered.

There are prerequisites for long-term energy shortages in the region: on the horizon of 2035–2040, by the time the nuclear power plant is commissioned, a significant part of the 6.6 GW thermal generation fleet will need to be replaced, even taking into account the extension of its service life, notes Sergei Rozhenko from Kept. “This summer’s situation with restrictions on export supplies shows that the problem of shortages has gone from theoretical to practical,” he says.

Now it is more likely that a nuclear power plant will be built in the Khabarovsk Territory – near Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Sovetskaya Gavan – to ensure power supply to the Eastern Test Site and new energy-intensive projects in the mining industry, believes Sergei Kondratyev from the Institute of Energy and Finance. Exporters of mineral resources and coal may also be interested in the project. “The transfer of two 600 MW power generating units from coal to nuclear will free up about 3.5–4 million tons of coal transport capacity by rail,” adds Sergei Rozhenko.

Based on the current estimate for higher power reactors, investments in the construction of a two-unit nuclear power plant, according to Sergei Kondratiev, will amount to $5–7 billion, the cost of production (LCOE) at the nuclear power plant will be higher than the tariff or market prices in the region – in the range of $42–53 per 1 MW •h.

Tatiana Dyatel, Vladivostok