Russia dedicated a new 1,000 megawatt VVER-1000/320 pressurized water reactor at the Kalinin nuclear plant north of Moscow Monday. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended the event, saying that it marked the beginning of a “nuclear renaissance.”
Construction on Kalinin unit 4 began in 1986 but was suspended in the 1990s. Construction resumed in 2007, and according to the International Atomic Energy Agency the reactor was first connected to the grid on Nov. 24.
Its completion is part of ambitious plans to expand Russian nuclear generation in the coming decades. International media noted that, at the reactor dedication, the head of state-owned Rosatom said the company wants to build 38 reactors in the country and 28 abroad by 2030.