The builders of Russia’s Kursk-II NPP have completed their first key task of 2021 by beginning reinforcement of the upper foundation plate of the turbine for unit 1, Kursk NPP said on 4 February. This is the base on which the turbine unit will subsequently be installed.
“The upper foundation slab is the final structural element of the base of the turbine unit. The entire base consists of a lower foundation slab and 20 reinforced concrete columns of the frame, which the upper foundation slab will connect into a single structure,” explained Aleksey Buldygin, head of the Capital Construction Department. “The turbine and the turbine generator will be located on this base forming a single machine – the turbine unit. The thickness of the upper foundation slab will be between 4 and 5 metres in different parts.”
Frame columns with a height of over 20 metres are located in the underground and above-ground parts of the turbine building. The purpose of the frame is to transfer the load from the turbine unit to the foundation slab of the building. This minimises the level of vibrations transmitted from the turbine unit through the foundation to the adjacent turbine building structures and the base. In total, about 400 tons of reinforcement will be laid in the upper foundation slab. Reinforcement of the slab is planned to be completed in April, after which concreting will begin.
Kursk II is a replacement station for the current Kursk nuclear plant. Commissioning of the first two units with the new design VVER-TOI reactors will be synchronised with the decommissioning of Kursk 1&2 of the operating plant.
