Holding up the whole city: what you need to know about Smolensk NPP

Amid reports of attempted attacks by the AFU, the Smolensk nuclear power plant (NPP), located in the south of the region, is operating normally. "Izvestia" tells about the most complex and large-scale complex built on the Desnogorsky reservoir. In the fall of 2026, the power plant will celebrate its anniversary - 60 years since its design.

Smolensk region January 29: what happened, the latest news

On the night of January 28-29, the Smolensk region was subjected to a massive strike of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The region's air defense system and REB means were triggered. According to regional governor Vasily Anokhin in his Telegram channel, the enemy attacked civilian objects, and one of the drones was shot down during an attempted attack on a nuclear power facility. There were no casualties or damage.

The Smolensk nuclear power plant, located 150 kilometers from Smolensk, is operating normally. According to the NPP management, only two power units are in operation, as the third one has been under scheduled repair since January 13.

History of Smolensk NPP construction

Smolensk NPP is located in the south of Smolensk region, three kilometers from the town of Desnogorsk and 80 kilometers from the border with Belarus. The complex uses water from the Desnogorsk water reservoir for its technological needs.

The station has a rather long history. The Ministry of Energy and Electrification of the USSR started designing Smolensk NPP in 1966, and five years later in 1971 preparatory works were started.

Of the three power units, two are in operation today, and two more are under construction. The first unit was commissioned in 1982 and each of the three units has an electrical capacity of 1,000 MW. Two more are under preparation for construction within the framework of ANPP-2, they are planned to be commissioned by 2035.

In 1995, ANPP put into operation the spent nuclear fuel storage facility. And the first radioactive waste processing complex was launched in 2016. On November 29, 2017, the cutting of the first spent fuel assembly took place at Smolensk NPP.

Smolensk NPP: performance of power units

SNPP provides 88% of electricity production in the region. According to Rosatom, the plant is one of the key nodes in the Unified Energy System of the country, its main consumer is the Center power system, which provides operation of 18 regional power systems, including Moscow and Moscow Region, as well as Kursk, Tver, Yaroslavl and Vladimir Regions. SNPP also supplies power to the Kaliningrad Oblast and Belarus.

The plant annually supplies about 20 billion kWh of electricity to the Unified Energy System of Russia, which is the seventh part of Russian NPP output.

Safety of Smolensk NPP

Smolensk NPP pays special attention to safety in the process of electric and thermal power generation. The high level of plant operation was confirmed by both Russian and foreign inspections: "Rosatom", Rostechnadzor and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).

Each power unit is equipped with an accident localization system that eliminates the release of radioactive substances into the environment. Special systems also ensure reliable heat removal from the reactors even in the event of complete loss of power supply to the plant, taking into account possible equipment failures.

In case of an accident at the nuclear power plant, the regional governor's decision of 1997 envisioned an evacuation plan for the population. According to the plan, about 50 thousand people are supposed to be evacuated from the 30-kilometer zone of the Smolensk NPP. of the Smolensk NPP surveillance zone.

It should be noted that radiation background on the territory of the plant has been measured since 1980. Its level at the industrial site corresponds to the level of natural values - 0.07 - 0.14 microsieverts. Experts emphasize that throughout the entire period of the plant's operation these values did not exceed the regulatory requirements.

The automatic system of radiation situation control, which consists of 15 observation posts with dosimetric equipment, operates in the neighboring settlements from Smolensk NPP. The data from the posts are reported hourly to the laboratory of external radiation control of SNPP and to the crisis center of Rosenergoatom Concern.

In addition, an important component of the plant's activity is preservation of the environment - since 2012 the plant has been annually improving its environmental efficiency, implementing projects aimed at transition to a green economy and other.

Thus, in 2020, ANPP took the second place in the competition "Environmentally exemplary organization of the nuclear industry" according to the results of 2020. For the project "Clean Energy" of the contest, employees of Smolensk NPP became the winner of the All-Russian contest "Best Ecovolunteer Unit" in the nomination "No to Garbage!" in 2021.