Kursk 2-1 near Ukraine border now needs permit to go commercial
The first VVER-TOI unit at the Kursk 2 nuclear power station in Russia has completed pilot operation and is ready for commercial operation, state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced.
Rosatom said checks and tests were carried out at various capacity levels before the unit, Kursk 2-1, was allowed to increase to 100% capacity, which it reached last month.
During pilot operation the new unit, the first of Russia’s Generation III+ VVER-TOI design to begin operation, has already generated more than a billion kWh of electricity, according to Rosatom.
Before commercial operation Russia's nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor needs to confirm the plant’s compliance with all safety and design documentation.
Construction of the 1,200-MW Kursk 2-1 began in 2018 and the unit reached first criticality in May 2025.
The Kursk 2 nuclear power station, in western Russia, about 60 km from the border with Ukraine, is being built to replace four existing RBMK graphite-moderated reactors at the site. Two of those RBMK units, Kursk-1 and -2, were shut down in 2021 and 2024.
Kursk 2 will have four VVER-TOI units, with the first two under construction, and an additional two under planning and preparation.
According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, Russia has 34 nuclear plants in commercial operation and five under construction.
VVER-TOI units are the latest version of Russia’s large light-water designs.
