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Russia's nuclear power corporation delays new NPP construction projects in Russia

The timeframe for commissioning seven out of nine new nuclear power units in Russia was postponed by an average of four years

Central control room of Smolensk NPP second power unit EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Central control room of Smolensk NPP second power unit

© EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

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SMOLENSK, May 13. /TASS/. Russian civilian nuclear power corporation Rosatom has postponed by an average of four years the timeframe for commissioning seven out of nine new nuclear power units in Russia, the press office of the Smolensk nuclear power plant said on Wednesday.

Preparatory works for building the second stage of the Smolensk NPP in west Russia will begin in 2019, three years behind the schedule, the press office said.

"Due to changes in state corporation Rosatom’s plans, the timeframe for launching preparatory works on the site of the Smolensk-2 NPP has been shifted from 2016 to 2019 and the launch of the first nuclear power unit from 2022 to 2027," the press office said.

Smolensk NPP spokesman Yevgeny Shupta said the NPP’s second stage would replace the nuclear power plant that had been in operation since the early 1980s.

Rosatom recently extended the operation term of the Smolensk NPP until 2027.

"The technologies for restoring the resource characteristics of the reactor’s graphite blocks allow for the safe and reliable operation of the Smolensk NPP power units beyond the designed term. Today nuclear power unit No. 1 of the Smolensk NPP has the grounds for extending its operation life by 15 years to 2027," Shupta said.

Rosatom will build the Smolensk-2 NPP near the village of Pyatidvorka six kilometers (3.7 miles) away from the existing nuclear power plant. The nuclear power firm has already held engineering and geological surveys and public discussions on the NPP construction.

The project to build the Smolensk-2 NPP will attract 300 billion rubles ($6 billion) in investment and create 5,000 jobs.

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