At its peak in 1982, nuclear power in the Soviet Union accounted for 6.5% of total electricity consumption and the total nuclear capacity installed was 18 GW. However, nuclear power within the Soviet Union declined severely as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster.
History
The first nuclear power plant constructed in the Soviet Union was the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, built near Moscow on June 26, 1954. It was intended as an experiment to determine the capabilities of nuclear power in supplying a commercial grid. At the beginning of its operation, it produced 5 MWe. The power plant proved successful in its experiment and four years later, the Siberian Nuclear Power Station with a 100 MWe capacity was installed and subsequently increased to 600 MWe. Following the development, commercial power stations were constructed in Beloyarsk, Novo-Voronezh, Kola, Leningrad, and Armenia.
In the year 1960, the Soviet Union had a nuclear power capacity of 605 MWe. By 1975, this capacity was increased to 4.7 GW. At this point, the Soviet Union was committed to developing an aggressive nuclear power program. Throughout the 1970s, approximately 10% of electricity powering the Soviet Union came from Nuclear Power Plants and predictions made by Deputy Minister of Power Energy aimed an increase by approximately 400-500% by the year 2000.
All Soviet power reactors were designed by the Ministry of Medium Machine Building (Sredmash), the key Soviet ministry for administering the Soviet nuclear weapons complex from 1953 until 1989 (when it was reorganized into the Ministry of Atomic Energy and Industry of the USSR). The reactors were ordered and administered, however by the Ministry of Energy and Electrification (Minenergo), which was in charge of power production and plant operation. The differences in institutional culture, priorities, and expertise between these two industries have been argued to be core to understanding the choices made by the Soviet Union in the field of nuclear power, notably in its embrace of the controversial RBMK reactor design, which was developed with a priority on ease of local construction, economical value, and the possibility (never implemented) for dual-use plutonium production — with core safety concerns being either de-prioritized or kept secret.
Chernobyl accident of April 26, 1986 On April 26, 1986, an uncontrolled power increase occurred within the core of Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant causing an explosion within the core that destroyed the reactor itself, and vented radioactive materials into the atmosphere and surrounding environment, causing dozens of immediate deaths related to the containment of the accident, and potentially tens of thousands of later deaths from cancer. The Chernobyl disaster is one of two disasters ranked as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale for the spread of radioactive material and environmental effects, and there are significant areas of Ukraine and Belarus that are still considered contaminated by the accident.
Following the 1986 accident, stances on nuclear power changed, especially so in the USSR. The incident highlighted the threat of the country's 24 RBMK reactors, which were found to have been created with major operational flaws that cause uncontrollable spikes in energy during a reactor's emergency shutdown procedure. These required re-design or replacement to meet safety standards for operation.
The event slowed the nuclear energy program of the Soviet Union, which would not see reinvigoration until after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
List of reactors for electricity production + Name LocationSSRUnit Type Gross Capacity (MWe) OperationalStatus NotesArmenianYerevanArmenian1VVER4081976-1988Shutdown after the Spitak Earthquake and Chernobyl accident2VVER4401980-1988, 1995–Shutdown after the Spitak Earthquake and Chernobyl accident, restarted in 1995. Shutdown expected 2036BalakovoBalakovoRussian1VVER10001986–2VVER10001988–3VVER10001989–4VVER10001993–5VVER1000Planned 1970s6VVER1000Planned 1970sBeloyarskZarechny, Sverdlovsk OblastRussian1AMB-1001081964-19832AMB-2001601967-19903BN-6006001980-4BN-8008852016-ChernobylChernobylUkrainian1RBMK10001977-1995Shutdown as a result of the Chernobyl Disaster2RBMK10001978-1991Shutdown as a result of fire damage in turbines3RBMK10001981-1995Shutdown as a result of the Chernobyl Disaster4RBMK10001983-1986Catastrophic meltdown and explosion — the reactor of the Chernobyl Disaster5RBMK1000Planned 1986Postponed to 1989, then cancelled by Chernobyl Disaster6RBMK1000Planned 1988Postponed to 1989, then cancelled by Chernobyl DisasterIgnalinaVisaginasLithuanian1RBMK-150013601983-2004Initially operated at 1500 MW, de-rated to 1360 after the Chernobyl accident.2RBMK-150013601987-2009Meant to come online in 1986, postponed for a year after the Chernobyl accident.3RBMK-15001500Planned 1991Construction cancelled in 19894RBMK-15001500Planned 1990sConstruction cancelled in 1989KalininUdomlyaRussian1VVER10001985-Shutdown expected 20252VVER10001987-Shutdown expected 20383VVER10002005-4VVER10002012-KhmelnytskyiNetishynUkrainian1VVER10001988-2VVER10002005-3VVER1000Est. 2027Construction stopped in 1980s, restarted in 20184VVER1000Est. 2028Construction stopped in 1980s, restarted in 2018KolaPolyarnye ZoriRussian1VVER4401973-Shutdown expected 20332VVER4401975-Shutdown expected 20353VVER4401982-Shutdown expected 20424VVER4401984-Shutdown expected 2044KurskKurskRussian1RBMK10001977-20212RBMK10001979-20243RBMK10001983-Shutdown expected 2033 Originally expected in 2028, but prolonged by more 5 years4RBMK10001985-Shutdown expected in 2035 Originally expected in 2030, but prolonged by more 5 year5RBMK1000Planned 1991Construction cancelled in 2012, nearly 100% complete6RBMK1000Planned 1992Construction cancelled in 1993LeningradSosnovy BorRussian1RBMK10001974-20182RBMK10001976-20203RBMK10001980-Shutdown expected 2030 (Extended by 5 years in 2025)4RBMK10001981-Shutdown expected 2031(Extended by 5 years in 2026)MangyshlakAktauKazakh1BN-3503501973-1999NovovoronezhNovovoronezhRussian1VVER2101964-19882VVER3651970-19903VVER4171972-20164VVER4171973-Shutdown expected 20325VVER9501981-Shutdown expected 2035ObninskObninskRussian1AM-151954-2002World's first nuclear power plantRivneVarashUkrainian1VVER4401981-Shutdown expected in 20412VVER4401982-Shutdown expected in 20423VVER10001987-Shutdown expected in 20414VVER10002004-Shutdown expected in 2064SmolenskSmolenskRussian1RBMK10001983-Shutdown expected 20272RBMK10001985-Shutdown expected 20303RBMK10001990-Shutdown expected 20344RBMK1000Planned ~1994Construction cancelled 1993South UkraineYuzhnoukrainskUkrainian1VVER10001983-Shutdown expected in 20432VVER10001985-Shutdown expected in 20453VVER10001989-Shutdown expected in 20494VVER1000Planned 1991Construction halted in 1989 - cooling capability problemZaporizhzhiaEnerhodarUkrainian1VVER10001985-Controlled by Russia since 20222VVER10001986-Controlled by Russia since 20223VVER10001987-Controlled by Russia since 20224VVER10001988-Controlled by Russia since 20225VVER10001989-Controlled by Russia since 20226VVER10001996-Controlled by Russia since 2022
Unfinished reactors
Russian: , , Kostroma, , , Ukrainian: Chyhyryn, Crimean, Kharkiv, Odesa Belarusian:
See also Energy policy of the Soviet Union
Nuclear energy in Armenia Belarusian nuclear power plant Nuclear energy in Kazakhstan Nuclear energy in Lithuania Nuclear power in Russia Nuclear power in Ukraine
References