Recent events in Japan have once again frightened humanity and forced us to think about the correctness of using the peaceful atom. Germany has already abandoned the peaceful nuclear program, and many states have begun developing a new clean energy production program.
The first nuclear power plant was built in 1960, and within ten years there were 116 of them. Today, there are more than 450 operating nuclear reactors in the world, producing 350 gigawatts of electricity.
Most of the reactors are located in the USA - 104. By comparison, in France - 59, and in Russia there are only 29. The lion's share of the energy generated by Russia and France supplies the whole of Europe.
If you make a list of the world's leaders in energy production, it will look like this:
1.
USA - 104 reactors.
2.
France – 59 reactors.
3.
Japan - 53 reactors.
4.
Great Britain – 35 rectors.
5.
Russia – 29 reactors.
6.
Germany - 19 reactors.
7.
South Korea - 16 reactors.
8.
Canada - 14 reactors.
9.
Ukraine – 13 reactors.
10.
Sweden - 11 reactors.
All other countries have less than 10 reactors.
Here is a clear example of the distribution of reactors in Europe:
The largest and most powerful reactors on our planet are:
In first place are Fukushima I and Fukushima II in Japan, already known throughout the world due to the recent events. Both power plants are interconnected and are essentially one energy point. Fukushima's total power output is 8,814 megawatts. Today, both of these power plants are an energy hole for Japan's budget. Seven reactors at these power plants are either partially destroyed or in a meltdown. The destruction of the nuclear power plant was caused by an earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan.
Second place is also occupied by the Japanese Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, located near Sea of Japan in Niigata Prefecture. The power output of all seven reactors is 8,212 megawatts.
In third place is the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The total output power of the 2 reactors is 6000 megawatts. By the way, Zaporozhye NPP is one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe and the largest in Ukraine. She is also the current longest-living record holder. Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1977.
The fourth place is occupied by Yongwan Nuclear Power Plant in South Korea with a total power output of 5875 megawatts. The power plant was built in 1986.
In fifth place is the Gravelines nuclear power plant, which is located in France. The power output of its six reactors is 5,460 megawatts. Gravelines is the largest nuclear power plant in France.
The French Paluel nuclear power plant also occupies sixth place. The reactor of this nuclear power plant is the largest in the world. The output power of the Paluel reactor is 5320 megawatts.
In seventh place is the Kattnom nuclear power plant, which is located in the same France. Each reactor of this nuclear power plant produces 1,300 megawatts of electricity.
Eighth place goes to the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant, which is located in Canada. The total power output of its eight reactors is 4,693 megawatts.
Okha Nuclear Power Plant is in ninth place. This nuclear power plant is located in Japan, in Fukui Prefecture. Ohi Nuclear Power Plant has a total of four reactors, two of which produce 1,180 megawatts, the other two are five megawatts less each. The total output power of the nuclear power plant is 4494 megawatts.
After recent events, the World Association of Nuclear Operators, at an extraordinary congress, decided to strengthen safety at all existing nuclear power plants in the world, placing full responsibility for the implementation of this task on the countries that have nuclear power plants on their territory. Germany, in turn, has already abandoned the peaceful nuclear program and has begun developing more safe type electricity production.
Many are now looking for what will happen, some say - a meteorite, others - global warming, and a third associate the end of the world with our peaceful atom.
After the terrible events that occurred in Japan, nuclear power plants began to attract a lot of attention from the world community. Disputes about the safety of nuclear power plants for the environment and human life continue to this day. But such power plants require a meager amount of fuel, which is their undoubted advantage over other types of similar structures.
There are more than 400 nuclear power plants in the world, and those discussed below are the most powerful of them.
For comparison: The capacity of the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant was 4,000 MW.
Our rating opens with a station located on Japanese island Honshu. After the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese approached the construction of a new nuclear power plant with high level professionalism and extreme caution: only three of the five reactors are currently in operation. Two reactors were shut down due to technical work to improve the safety system and protection against natural disasters.
9. Balakovo NPP (Russia) – 4000 MW
Balakovskaya is rightfully considered the largest nuclear power plant in Russia and the most powerful power plant of its kind. This is where all nuclear fuel research in our country began. All the latest developments were tested here, and only after that they received permission for further use at other Russian and foreign nuclear power plants. The Balakovo nuclear power plant produces a fifth of all nuclear power plants in Russia.
8. Palo Verde NPP (USA) – 4174 MW
It is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the United States. But today the capacity of 4174 MW is not the most high rate, therefore this nuclear power plant occupies only eighth place in our rating. But Palo Verde is unique in its own way: it is the only nuclear power plant in the world that is not located on the shore of a large body of water. The concept behind the reactors is cooling by using wastewater from nearby communities. However, violation of the traditions of designing nuclear power plants by American engineers raises many questions about the safety of such a power plant.
7. Ohi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan) – 4494 MW
Another representative of the Japanese nuclear industry. This nuclear power plant has a reserve of four operating reactors with a total capacity of 4494 MW. Paradoxically, this is the safest nuclear power plant in Japan. In its entire history, Okha has not had a single emergency situation related to security. Interesting fact: after the “freeze” of work at all nuclear power plants and a whole series of technical inspections throughout the country in connection with the Fukushima disaster, the Ohi nuclear power plant was the first to resume operation.
6. NPP Paluel (France) – 5320 MW
Although this “French woman” is located on the shore of a reservoir, like other nuclear power plants, it still has one characteristic feature. Not far from the nuclear power plant is the commune of Paluel (the question of what the station got its name from immediately disappears). The fact is that all the residents of this commune are part-time workers of the nuclear power plant (there are about 1,200 people). A sort of communist approach to the problem of employment.
5. Gravelines NPP (France) – 5460 MW
Gravelines is the most powerful nuclear power plant in France. It is located on the shores of the North Sea, the waters of which are used to cool nuclear reactors. France is actively developing its scientific and technical potential in the nuclear field and has a large number of nuclear power plants on its territory, which together have more than fifty nuclear reactors.
4. Hanul Nuclear Power Plant (South Korea) – 5900 MW
Hanul is not the only nuclear power plant in South Korea with a capacity of 5900 MW: the Korean “arsenal” also has the Hanbit station. The question arises, why exactly Hanul occupies fourth place in our rating? The fact is that in the next 5 years, leading Korean specialists in the field of nuclear energy plan to “accelerate” Hanul to a record 8,700 MW. Perhaps a new leader will soon top our rating.
3. Zaporozhye NPP (Ukraine) – 6000 MW
Having started its work in 1993, Zaporozhye NPP became the most powerful station in the entire former Soviet space. Today it is the third nuclear power plant in the world and the first in Europe in terms of power.
Interesting fact: The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was built in close proximity to the city of Energodar. With the start of construction, a powerful flow of investment poured into the city, and the region as a whole received an economic boost, which made it possible to develop the social and industrial spheres at a high level.
2. Bruce NPP (Canada) – 6232 MW
Perhaps the most powerful and largest nuclear power plant in terms of size in all of Canada and the entire North American continent. The Bruce Nuclear Power Plant is distinguished by the scale of its area - no less than 932 hectares of land. It has as many as 8 powerful nuclear reactors in its arsenal, which brings “Bruce” to second place in our rating. Until the beginning of the 2000s, not a single nuclear power plant could surpass the Zaporozhye NPP in terms of its performance, but Canadian engineers succeeded. Another feature of the station is its “hedonic” location on the shores of picturesque Lake Huron.
1. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP (Japan) – 8212 MW
Even the 2007 earthquake, after which the power in nuclear reactors had to be reduced, did not prevent this energy giant from maintaining world leadership. The maximum capacity of the nuclear power plant is 8212 MW, now its potential has been realized only at 7965 MW. Today it is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world.
Despite the ambiguous attitude towards nuclear power plants (which is quite justified by many objective reasons), no one will argue that this is the most environmentally friendly production of all existing ones: there is practically no waste from the activities of nuclear power plants. In turn, responsibility for safety lies on the shoulders of engineers. Literacy in design and construction - and the nuclear industry will have no enemies left.
And the dramatic events at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant caused serious damage to the development of nuclear energy throughout the world. Through the efforts of means mass media a strong belief has been created about the inevitable danger of any power plant with a nuclear power plant.
But, according to many scientists, there is not yet a worthy alternative to meeting the need for electricity, and, for example, Balakovo - the largest nuclear power plant in Russia - poses no more of a threat than any other industrial facility of similar scale.
Operating principle of nuclear power plants
All major nuclear power plants operate on a similar principle. To produce electricity, heat is used, which is generated during a controlled chain reaction of fission of nuclear fuel - this process is mainly carried out in a nuclear reactor - the “heart” of a nuclear power plant.
Next, hot steam is prepared, which drives the turbines of electric generators. Depending on the design, these can be rotors used in power plants of all types or built taking into account the specifics of installations operating on nuclear fuel.
Reactor types
There are several types of reactors, which differ in the fuel, coolant passing through the core, and the moderator needed to control the chain reaction.
Reactors that use ordinary, “light” water as a process fluid have proven to be the most economical and productive. By design, they come in two main types:
- RBMK is a high-power channel reactor. In it, the steam that rotates the turbines is prepared directly in the core, which is why such an object is called boiling. This was the reactor of the fourth power unit in Chernobyl; a similar type of installation is used, for example, by the Kursk station, the largest nuclear power plant in Russia.
- VVER - pressurized water power reactor. This is a system of two sealed circuits: in the first - radioactive - water circulates directly through the reactor core, absorbing heat from the nuclear fission chain reaction, in the second - steam is generated, which is supplied to the turbines of electric generators. Such reactors are used in the most powerful Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Europe; another largest nuclear power plant in Russia, Balakovo, operates on them.
The second type of reactor is gas-cooled, where graphite is used to control processes (EGP-6 reactor at the Bilibino NPP). The third one uses fuel in the form of natural uranium and with “heavy water” - deuterium oxide - as a coolant and moderator. The fourth - RN - fast neutron reactor.
The first nuclear power plants
The first experiment on using a nuclear reactor to produce electricity was conducted in the USA, at the Idaho National Laboratory, in 1951. The reactor operated at a power sufficient to illuminate four 200-watt electric lamps. After some time, the installation began to provide electricity to the entire building where scientific research was carried out on a nuclear reactor. It was connected to the power grid after 4 years, and the city of Arco, located near the laboratory, became the first in the world to be provided with electricity using a nuclear power plant.
But the world's first industrial nuclear power plant is a nuclear power plant launched in the summer of 1954 in the Kaluga region of the USSR and immediately connected to the network. This is where Russian nuclear energy originates. The power of the Obninsk nuclear power plant was small - only 5 MW. Three years later, in the Tomsk region, in the city of Seversk, the first stage of the Siberian nuclear power plant was put into operation, subsequently producing 600 MW. The reactor installed there was intended to produce weapons-grade plutonium, with electrical and thermal energy being a by-product. Today the reactors at these stations are shut down.
Nuclear power plant on the territory of the former USSR
Since the late 1950s and early 1960s, the USSR began intensive construction of such power plants in different regions of the country. The list of nuclear power plants in Russia and the Union republics includes 17 similar structures, 7 of which remain outside the current Russian Federation:
- Armenian, near the city of Metsamor. It has two power units with a total capacity of 440 MW. After the Spitak earthquake of 1988, which the nuclear power plant withstood without serious accidents thanks to the seismic resistance built into the design, a decision was made to shut it down. However, later, due to the high demand for electricity, the government of the republic decided to launch the second power unit in 1995. Despite the fact that this happened taking into account increased requirements for technological and environmental safety, the European Union insists on its conservation.
- in the north-east of Lithuania operated from 1983 to 2009 and was closed at the request of the European Union.
- Zaporozhye, the most powerful nuclear power plant in Europe, is located on the shore of the Kakhovka reservoir, in the city of Energodar, built in 1978. It consists of 6 VVER-1000 power units, producing a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity - about 40 billion kWh per year. It fully complies with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
- Rivne, near the city of Kuznetsovsk in the Rivne region of Ukraine. It has 4 VVER power units with a total capacity of 2835 MW. Received a high rating from the IAEA based on the results of a safety audit.
- Khmelnitskaya, near the city of Neteshyn, near the Gorini river in Ukraine. 2 VVER-1000 are involved.
- Yuzhno-Ukrainskaya, located on the banks of the Southern Bug in the Nikolaev region of Ukraine. 3 VVER-1000 power units provide 96% of the electricity needs of the south of Ukraine.
- Chernobyl, near the city of Pripyat, became the site of the largest man-made disaster of the year. The last of the four RBMK-1000 power units was shut down in 2000.
The share of electricity generated at nuclear power plants in the total energy balance of the largest nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power plants, and thermal power plants in Russia is about 18%. This is significantly less than, for example, the leader in the nuclear energy industry - France, where this figure is 75%. According to the energy strategy adopted by the government, for the period until 2030 it is planned to increase this ratio to 20-30% and increase electricity production using nuclear fuel power units by 4 times.
Nuclear energy in Russia
How many nuclear power plants are there in Russia today? There are 10 power plants operating in our country, comprising 35 power units of various types (there are about 100 such units in operation in the USA). The most widespread in our country are pressurized water reactors (VVER) - 18 in total. Of these, 12 are with a capacity of 1000 MW, another 6 are 440 MW. There are also 15 boiling channel reactors in operation: 11 RBMK-1000 and 4 EGP-6.
Which nuclear power plant is the largest in Russia
At the moment, in the Rosenergoatom system there is no clear leader among nuclear power plants in terms of capacity and contribution to the overall balance of the country. There are 2 complexes where the same number (4) of the same type of VVER-1000 reactors are used. These are the Balakovo and Kalinin nuclear power plants. Each of them has a total capacity of 4000 MW. The same power is included in the Kursk and Leningradskaya power plants, which each use 4 RBMK-1000 power units. At the same time, the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world - the Japanese Kashiwazaki-Kariwa - has 7 power units with a total capacity of 8212 MW.
The concentration of energy enterprises of this type has led to the fact that they play a vital role in providing electricity to the central regions of the country. In the center of Russia, and especially in the north-west, the share of nuclear power plants in the energy balance reaches 40%.
6 other Russian nuclear power plants
The Kola station, Russia's largest nuclear power plant in the northern territories, operating two thousand-megawatt power units, makes its contribution to the Russian energy sector. The introduction of new capacities continues at the Novovoronezh NPP, where new, improved VVER-1200 power units are being used. Beloyarsk NPP in Sverdlovsk region can be considered an experimental site for Russian nuclear scientists. It uses several types of power units, including fast neutron reactors. The Bilibino station is located in Chukotka, supplying this region with the necessary heat.
The question of which nuclear power plant is the largest in Russia may again become relevant when new power units are commissioned at the Rostov station, of which there are currently three, and their capacity is 3,100 MW. Smolenskaya, which operates on RBMK reactors, has the same power.
Prospects
The industry development program takes into account how many nuclear power plants need to be built in Russia, how many power units need to be reconstructed and put into operation in order to improve energy supply. This is especially true for the regions of the North, Siberia and Far East. Most of the oil and gas production enterprises, which still form the basis of the Russian economy, are located there.
One of the most promising areas of Russian nuclear energy is the creation of floating nuclear thermal power plants. These are transportable low-power power units (up to 70 MW) based on fast neutron reactors of the KLT-40 type. Such mobile structures can provide the most inaccessible areas with electricity, industrial and domestic heat, and even fresh water. Commissioning of the first floating nuclear power plant "Mikhail Lomonosov" is planned in the coming years.
As soon as scientists managed to carry out a reaction to split the atomic nucleus, the question immediately arose about the prospects for the practical application of this outstanding discovery. Considering the political situation developing in the world, it is natural that the first application for the new discovery was to use it to create a weapon of unprecedented power - the atomic bomb. But, in parallel with the use of the reaction of fission of the atomic nucleus for mass murder, a number of scientists raised the question of a “peaceful atom”.
Leadership on the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes was immediately seized by Soviet Union. Already in 1954, the first industrial nuclear power plant was built in Obninsk. Its power was 5 MW. However Western countries did not remain aloof from the opportunity to join in the use of such a powerful source of energy. Great Britain was the first to commission an industrial nuclear reactor in 1956, and the nuclear power plant was named Calder Hall. A year later, a similar power plant was built in the USA in the town of Shippingport. Its power was 69 MW and at that time it was the most powerful nuclear power plant.
Naturally, like any other work of human hands, the development of nuclear energy could not do without accidents. Let's look at the most famous of them.
Three most famous nuclear power plant accidents
Trimal Island Nuclear Power Plant Accident
This incident is the most major disaster at nuclear facilities in the United States. On March 28, 1979, more than half of the core of the second reactor melted. This led to the release of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere, and the local river was contaminated with water containing radioactive elements. Due to the accident, about 200,000 people living in the danger zone were evacuated.
Accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant
As a result of the powerful earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011, the reactor cooling system in the first unit of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant was shut down in Japan. This led to a fuel melt and explosion. The result was the emergence of a ten-kilometer exclusion zone around the plant and a revision of energy policy by the Japanese government
The Chernobyl accident
The largest nuclear disaster to date occurred on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. As a result of the destruction of part of the reactor core at power unit No. 4, more than 8 tons of radioactive fuel were released into the air. The area within a radius of thirty kilometers was contaminated with radiation, and total area The area that experienced the consequences of this accident exceeded 160 thousand km2.
From the above short list disasters, it is clear that nuclear power plants can pose a serious danger. So why do they not only continue to be used, but also why is there a constant increase in the number of countries wishing to build a nuclear power plant on their territory? There are several reasons for this.
The main advantages of nuclear energy
Nuclear power plants are environmentally friendly. They do not emit harmful substances into the atmosphere (if, of course, they operate normally) like thermal stations and do not burn oxygen. For their construction there is no need to flood a huge territory, which is a necessary condition for the construction of a hydroelectric power station. However, there are two problems: nuclear power plants are characterized by a high level of thermal pollution and the disposal of spent fuel is necessary. And if the first problem can be solved by using the resulting heat in the economy, then recycling spent fuel for reactors still remains a difficult task.
The cost of nuclear energy is relatively low and is little subject to price fluctuations. If hydrocarbon prices are constantly changing, then the price of fuel for nuclear power plants is more stable.
Fuel for nuclear power plants has a very small volume, especially compared to coal-fired power plants, which makes it possible to build nuclear power plants without regard to the availability of raw materials. What is even more important is that the explored reserves of uranium ores are still very far from being fully depleted, unlike, for example, oil and gas reserves.
The most powerful nuclear power plants in the world
There are now almost two hundred nuclear power plants operating in the world. Their geography is quite extensive - there are nuclear power plants in 31 countries. Let's take a closer look at the largest nuclear power plants. Here are the top five nuclear power plants with the largest installed capacity.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa (Japan)
This power plant has seven boiling water reactors (of which two are improved). Its power is 7965 MW. After the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, it was decommissioned, but in 2012 it came back into operation.
Zaporozhye (Ukraine)
This power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Its six reactors can generate power of 6,000 MW.
Hanul (South Korea)
It is one of the pair of largest nuclear power plants in South Korea. It has six operating and two reactors under construction. The power of the commissioned reactors is 5881 megawatts.
Hanbit (South Korea)
The power of the six pressurized water reactors at the Hanbit power station is 5875 MW. Until 2013, this station was called Yongwan, but due to requests from local fishermen, it received a new name, since many buyers associated the caught fish with nuclear energy.
Nord (France)
This power plant is located in the canton of Gravelines. It is the most powerful nuclear power plant in France, and its capacity is 5460 MW.
What about Russia? What place does nuclear energy occupy in its home country? There are currently 10 nuclear power plants in operation in Russia, producing 18% of all electricity generated in the country. The share of nuclear energy in the overall energy balance is not very large, which is understandable given the country’s rich hydrocarbon reserves and huge hydro potential.
It is quite difficult to determine the most powerful nuclear power plant in Russia - four nuclear power plants have four reactors, each of which has a capacity of 1000 megawatts. These are Balakovo, Leningrad, Kursk and Kalinin nuclear power plants. Therefore, to determine the largest nuclear power plant in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to resort to an additional indicator - electricity generated per year. According to this indicator, the title of “the largest nuclear power plant in Russia” belongs to the Balakovo NPP - it produces more than 30 billion kWh per year. The same power plant also occupies an honorable tenth place in the world ranking of the most powerful nuclear power plants.
Due to the ever-decreasing reserves of hydrocarbon raw materials and the high cost of alternative energy, nuclear energy has all the prerequisites to take a leading position in the issue of providing humanity with electricity. Unless, of course, a breakthrough in the field of controlled thermonuclear reactions is achieved in the near future.
Today, the attitude towards nuclear power plants in the world is not at all unambiguous. And there are many reasons for this, because if such energy sources break down, literally the entire planet could be in danger. But the world will not be able to turn away from nuclear energy any time soon. The cost of its production is less, there are no harmful emissions, delivery of fuel to the station costs a penny - all the advantages are obvious. All that remains is to sort out safety during design and construction - and the “peaceful atom” will have no enemies left! So, which nuclear power plants are the most powerful and where are they located?
In 2010, the Japanese nuclear power plant reached an installed capacity of 8212 MW. This is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world. And even after the earthquake in 2007, when emergency situations arose at the station, after all the restoration work (the power had to be reduced), this energy giant remained in first place in the world (today it is 7965 MW). After the Fukushima incident, the plant was shut down to check all systems and then restarted.
The largest nuclear power plant in Canada itself and the entire North American continent is the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant. It was built in 1987 on the shores of picturesque Lake Huron (Ontario). The station is huge in area and occupies more than 932 hectares of land. Its 8 nuclear reactors provide a total power of 6232 MW and bring Canada to second place on our list. It is worth noting that until the early 2000s, the Ukrainian Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was considered the second largest in the world. But the Canadians bypassed Ukraine, managing to “overclock” their reactors to such high levels.
The third in the world and the first in Europe in terms of power is the Zaporozhye NPP. The station became fully operational in 1993, becoming the most powerful in everything former USSR. The total capacity of the enterprise is 6000 MW. It is located on the shore of the Kakhovka reservoir near the city of Energodar, Zaporozhye region. The nuclear power plant employs 11.5 thousand people. At one time, with the start of construction of this station, the entire region received a powerful economic boost, thanks to which it grew both socially and industrially.
This station is located near the city of Uljin in South Korea and has a capacity of 5900 MW. It is worth saying that the Koreans have another nuclear power plant identical in power - Hanbit, but Hanul is planned to be “overclocked” to a record 8,700 MW. In the next 5 years, Korean engineers promise to finish the work, and then perhaps there will be a new champion on our list. We'll see.
The most powerful station in France is Gravelines. Its total capacity reaches 5460 MW. The nuclear power plant was built on the shores of the North Sea, the waters of which are involved in the cooling process of all 6 of its reactors. France, like no other country in Europe, develops its own technologies and developments in the nuclear field and has on its territory the largest and most powerful nuclear power plants, and these are more than 50 nuclear reactors.
The total capacity of this “French” is 5320 MW. It is also located on the coast, but has one interesting feature: in the immediate vicinity of the nuclear power plant there is the Paluel commune (after which, in fact, the station is named), and so, almost all of the 1,200 station employees are residents of this very commune. A truly “Soviet” approach to the problem of employment!
And again Japan. The plant's four nuclear reactors produce 4,494 MW. The station is considered one (if not the most) reliable and does not have a single emergency or safety incident in its “track record”. This issue is more than relevant in Japan after the events in Fukushima. Let's just say that after the operation of all Japanese nuclear power plants was stopped to check the technical condition after the earthquake, it was the Ohi plant that returned to operation first.
The most powerful US nuclear power plant is only in eighth position on our list. The three reactors of this station produce a power of 4174 MW. This is not the highest figure today, but this nuclear power plant is unique in its own way. The fact is that Wintersburg is the only nuclear power plant in the world that is not located on the shore of a large body of water. The technical “zest” of this nuclear power plant is that wastewater from nearby plants is used to cool the reactors. settlements(the city of Palo Verde, for example). One can only be surprised at the determination of American engineers who, contrary to safety traditions, decided to take such a bold step when designing this nuclear power plant.
The most powerful nuclear power plant in Russia was put into operation in 1985. Today its total capacity is 4000 MW. The nuclear power plant is located on the shore of the Saratov reservoir and provides a fifth of the energy production of all nuclear power plants in Russia. The station's staff is 3,770 people. Balakovo NPP is the “pioneer” of all nuclear fuel research in Russia. In general, we can say that all the latest developments were put into operation at this nuclear power plant. And only after passing practical tests here, they received permission for use at other nuclear power plants in Russia and other countries.
The last station on our list is located on the island of Honshu in Japan. The power of this nuclear power plant is 3617 MW. Today, 3 out of 5 reactors are in operation. The remaining 2 have been stopped due to technical work to improve safety and protection from natural disasters. And again, after Fukushima, the Japanese demonstrate high professionalism and organization, in relation not only to themselves, but also to the whole world.
