“We addressed Rosatom and the Russian Government to support the second line of the Kola nuclear power plant construction”, says Murmansk Governor during her business trip to Polyarnye Zory - a home town of Kola nuclear power plant (NPP).
Workers and management of the plant have been very concerned about the future of the station, and plans on Kola NPP-2, as the reactors 1 and 2 will reach the end of their already extended engineered lifespans in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Both reactors were started in early 1970-s, and were to be shut down in 2003 and 2004.
It is time to make a decision whether to extend the reactors’ life time period again, or to put it both out of operation, and replace by second line of Kola NPP, says the official portal of Murmansk regional Government.
The issue was officially raised in the end of 2012, when director of Kola NPP Vasiliy Omelchuk addressed members of the Murmanks regional Duma with the same concern. As a director of the Kola NPP he was sure in the appropriate conditions to extend the lifespans of reactors 1 and 2. He believes if the reactors’ lifespans are not extended, Murmansk will not be able to rely on energy from the central energy system, Nord-news reports.
On the other hand, he appealed regional authorities to iniciate the construction of a new nuclear power plant - the site has already been selected, and that it is located next to the current plant, and that in principle, everything is set for construction of the new plant. Only the willingness of the region is required.
