Site preparations begin for planned Kola NPP-2 units

Ceremony launches preparatory phase

A ceremony held on Wednesday marked the beginning of works to prepare a site for a future nuclear power plant at Kola. The event was attended by the Governor of Murmansk Andrey Chibis, the management of the Kola plant, and representatives from the general contractor, JSC Titan-2.

Officials said the activities underway do not constitute the official start of construction for a nuclear unit, which will come later. Preparatory work will include survey work, design and preparation of a construction base, and ensuring access roads and facilities for the future workforce.

Licensing and reviews precede main construction

The main construction phase is expected to begin after the design is completed, expert reviews have been completed, and the construction licence is received from Rostekhnadzor. Rosatom characterised the milestone as a major project extending beyond the current decade.

Vasily Omelchuk, Director of the Kola NPP, said the plant is building on experience from operating existing facilities, noting established processes and a high level of professionalism. He also linked personnel readiness to training and workforce transitions, saying the project will include training young specialists and transferring employees to new capacities as existing units are decommissioned.

Planned reactor configuration and workforce needs

The plan described by Rosatom is for four new units at Kola II using the VVER-S design. Rosatom describes this as a 600 MWe water-cooled reactor under development, with the first two units scheduled to be built between 2027 and 2037.

Rosatom said the VVER-S approach is intended to replace the existing four Kola units as they reach the end of their operating lives. The existing units are VVER-440 reactors: Units 1 and 2 are V-230 models, and Units 3 and 4 are of the V-213 type. The source states their capacity is 411 MWe and that they were connected to the grid between 1973 and 1984.

Chibis said the construction phase would create over 5,000 new jobs and that operation would require hundreds of highly qualified specialists. He also said commissioning Kola NPP-2 would support industrial enterprises and social infrastructure in the Murmansk Region by helping ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Danube low water prompts shutdown risk at Paks and Cernavoda amid Europe-wide cooling constraints

Hungary: Paks enters advanced Danube low-water stage

Magyar Villamos Művek (MVM), the Hungarian operator, said the Danube level is 28 centimetres below the previous record set in 2018. That earlier record had been one metre below the 100-year minimum water level used in the design of Paks nuclear power plant.

MVM said the plant has already been reducing total output without a safety issue, but noted that while the current extremely low water level and water flow rate would allow sufficient water to cool the units, the suction level required for pumps is higher than the water level and is expected to continue decreasing.

MVM said Danube low-water conditions are divided into four stages based on intake measurements and that the plant is currently in stage 3. It added that forecasts show a realistic chance of a stage 4 event, under which all units would have to be shut down and then cooled. It stated that implementing a complete shutdown must be carried out within 24–72 hours, based on forecasts that change several times a day.

For cooling during a full shutdown, MVM said 5 cubic metres of water per minute would be needed, compared with 100 cubic metres per second for operating units. It said standby and reserve pumps are in place and that Paks is prepared to keep units in a safe condition during extremely low water conditions lasting for weeks. Restarting would occur in stages once the appropriate water level is reached, depending on the level.

MVM attributed the record-low Danube levels to climate-change-related hydrology, saying low water has persisted all year, and to deepening of the river bed. It also pointed to preparatory work to lower intake pipes, saying that within a few years the plant should be able to continue production even with a lower water level than the current one.

Romania: Cernavoda unit 1 shut; unit 2 may be next

In Romania, Nuclearelectrica announced that Cernavoda unit 1 was being shut down and disconnected from the National Energy System due to the unprecedentedly low level of the Danube caused by severe drought.

The company said the shutdown followed forecasts from the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management and described the action as preventive to protect nuclear safety and the reliability of facilities, with “no impact on nuclear safety, personnel or the environment.”

It later indicated that unit 2 was likely to be shut down, but then updated its position: unit 2 would remain online after analysis of operating parameters and equipment carried out during the night of 29 to 30 July 2026 found that operating parameters allow continued operation in safe conditions.

Nuclearelectrica added that shutdown of unit 2 may still be necessary at any time considering the current situation and hydrological forecasts. It said Cernavoda is Romania’s only nuclear power plant, with two 650 MWe Candu reactors that generate about a fifth of national electricity.

Broader context: heatwave cooling-water controls across Europe

The heatwave’s impact is extending beyond the Danube basin. In France, EDF temporarily took Bugey unit 3, Chooz unit 2 and Golfech 2 offline to comply with regulations on cooling water discharges, while eight other reactors operated at reduced power.

The measure was described as an environmental protection requirement to avoid discharging too much hot water into rivers already warming due to the heatwave.

In Switzerland, the two units at Beznau were temporarily shut down, or operated at lower power over recent weeks due to high temperatures in the River Aare.

Regional nuclear supply chains don't appear overnight.

Regional nuclear supply chains don't appear overnight. They are built through long-term industrial planning.

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected five finalist states to continue exploring the creation of Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses:

📍 Idaho
📍 Louisiana
📍 Oklahoma
📍 Tennessee
📍 Utah

The initiative aims to strengthen the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle through federal-state partnerships. Depending on each state's priorities, the campuses could support activities such as uranium enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel recycling, advanced manufacturing and advanced reactor deployment.
The DOE reviewed 28 applications from 26 states before selecting these finalists. If implemented, the programme could attract up to USD 50 billion in private investment and create nearly 25,000 jobs.

For suppliers, this is an important signal.
While no procurement programmes have been announced yet, initiatives like this indicate where future manufacturing capacity, industrial partnerships and supply chain activity may begin to concentrate.

Source: https://lnkd.in/dvKmVfu3