en.Wedoany.com Reported - Unit 3 of the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant, equipped with a VVER-1000 reactor, has reached full power operation after completing planned maintenance ahead of schedule. The unit was connected to the grid at 19:28 Moscow time on June 6, 2026, in strict compliance with safe operation technical regulations, with no adverse records. The planned major overhaul of Unit 3 was originally scheduled for 166 days, but was actually completed 39.2 days ahead of the specified deadline, while unconditionally ensuring high-quality maintenance work and strictly adhering to safety requirements. Completing the planned preventive maintenance ahead of schedule will help achieve electricity generation exceeding the plan.
Alexei Sirotin, Chief Engineer of the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant, stated: "Completing maintenance ahead of schedule is the result of applying lean production tools and digitalization. But the key factor is, of course, teamwork. We have confirmed once again: at the current stage of nuclear power development, safety and process optimization complement each other." During the major overhaul, approximately 10 types of modernization activities were implemented, including replacing sealed cable penetrations, tubular electric heaters in the pressurizer, and circulating pump motors. Important tasks also included maintenance of the low-pressure cylinder, extraction of the generator rotor from the stator, and nuclear fuel reloading operations, with a total of 67 new fuel assemblies loaded into the reactor.
The most critical and largest-scale operation during this planned preventive maintenance was the replacement of two steam generators that had reached the end of their service life, which had been in operation since Unit 3 was commissioned in 1988. Before installing the new equipment, extensive work was carried out in a "cold reactor" state: internal inspection of the reactor vessel, maintenance of boundary valves, and others. After the installation of the new steam generators was completed, a circulation flush of the primary circuit was performed. The design life of the new equipment allows it to operate until the end of the unit's service life. This major overhaul involved over 1,500 professional personnel from the power plant and units such as Balakovo AtomRemont, as well as personnel from other nuclear power maintenance branches and experts from the non-destructive testing center, who conducted eddy current testing on the heat exchange tubes of the steam generators.
It is reported that the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant, together with the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant, was named the best nuclear power plant in Russia for 2025. Currently, all four units of the plant are in operation, with a total load of 4,230 MW. The radiation situation around the nuclear power plant remains unchanged, and the radiation background indicators are consistent with the multi-year natural values in the European part of Russia.
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