South Urals nuclear power plant

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Other names: Yuzhnouralskaya

South Urals nuclear power plant is a cancelled nuclear power plant in Ozersk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia.

Project Details

Table 1: Unit-level project details for South Urals nuclear power plant

Unit name	Status	Cancellation year	Nameplate capacity	Reactor type	Model	Owner	Operator
1	Cancelled	1986	1220 MW	Fast breeder reactor	BN-1200	Rosatom [100%]	Rosenergoatom
2	Cancelled	1986	1220 MW	Fast breeder reactor	BN-1200	Rosatom [100%]	Rosenergoatom
3	Cancelled (inferred May 2024)	2020	1220 MW	Fast breeder reactor	BN-1200	Rosatom [100%]	Rosenergoatom

Location

Table 2: Unit-level location details for South Urals nuclear power plant

Unit name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
1	Ozersk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia	55.7517, 60.9037 (exact)
2	Ozersk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia	55.7517, 60.9037 (exact)
3	Ozersk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia	55.7517, 60.9037 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the nuclear power plant:

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Background

The South Urals nuclear power plant was a planned project in Chelyabinsk region, with a planned location 140km north-west of of the city of Chelyabinsk and close to the town of Ozyorsk.

The construction of the nuclear power plant began in 1982-1986. It was assumed that the station would consist of three BN-800 fast neutron industrial research reactors. After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, the construction of the station was suspended. At that time, the construction of auxiliary infrastructure was roughly completed and foundation pits were dug for the complexes of two power units. In 1993, the construction of the nuclear power plant was finally stopped and the buildings already erected were abandoned.

There were plans to resume construction in the early 2000s. At first, it was assumed that the station would be completed according to the old project with three BN-800 power units. Later it was decided to revise the design to consist of three power units with reactors of the BN-1200 type. The same old site was eventually chosen and a new project drawn up and the start of construction was scheduled for 2011-2013.

After 2008, the construction of the plant was gradually delayed and the capacity reduced. According to the 2013 version of the Russian energy development plan, the commissioning of the plant was scheduled for 2030, consisting of two blocks BN-1200. In a government document of 2016, similar in content, the commissioning period remained the same, but the planned capacity was reduced to one BN-1200 unit.

In the updated energy development plan from 2017, covering the period up to 2035, there was no mention of the plant. Likewise, the plant was not mentioned in the latest update of the energy development plan from December 2022.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of global nuclear power plants, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Nuclear Power Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.