Russia’s first new nuclear plant for over a decade has been officially opened. More than 20 years after its conception, Rostov 1 is now operating at low capacity. The reactor had been almost complete when the government froze construction on all Russian plants in 1990 following Chernobyl.
However, amid increasing power shortages, the Atomic Energy Ministry allocated funds in 1999 for the completion of several projects, including Rostov. The VVER-1000 is due to reach full capacity in July or August and commercial start-up is planned for October.
Russia now has 10 nuclear plants producing about 12% of its electricity.
