5 Aug (NucNet): The first unit of the Leningrad 2 nuclear station under construction in Sosnovy Bor, western Russia, will begin commercial operation in May 2018, with hot testing scheduled to begin at the beginning of 2017, station director Vladimir Pereguda told state-operated domestic news agency RIA Novosti. Leningrad 2-1 is a VVER-1200/491 nuclear unit with an electrical power capacity of 1,000 MW. It was scheduled for commercial operation in 2015, but the deadline was recently put back to 2017. Project operator Rosenergoatom has not given any reason for the delays. No date has been given for the scheduled operation of its sister unit, Leningrad 2-2, which is listed by the International Atomic Energy Agency as “under construction”. The IAEA says construction of Leningrad 2-1 began in October 2008 and of Leningrad 2-2 in April 2010. Startup of Units 3 and 4 of the new plant – Leningrad 2-3 and 2-4 – had been planned for 2020 and 2021. According to the IAEA construction of these units has not yet begun. In May 2016 Rosenergoatom said construction had been completed of the concrete containment building at Leningrad 2-1. Leningrad 2 is next to the existing Leningrad nuclear station site, where there are four reactors in commercial operation.
