Знаменитая Игналинская АЭС была построена в Литве in Soviet times. Here it was originally supposed to use 6 power units, each of which would have an energy capacity of 1185-1380 MW. However, the project was never implemented for various reasons. Let's see why it was never possible to build this power plant and what the Ignalina NPP looks like today.
Construction and plans
The construction of the station began in 1974.In parallel with it, a small town was being built, where the employees serving this huge enterprise would have to live. So, the very first energy block was launched on December 31, 1983. In 1987, the second block was put into operation. In total, they planned to build 4 reactors, and in the future - another 2. The third of them was laid in 1985. However, it was never built. As for the fourth power unit, it generally remained only in the plans.
Вероятно, что если бы не так называемая restructuring, then all reactors would be put into operation, and Lithuania would “bathe” in cheap electricity, but the project was finally closed when Lithuania joined the EU. It is a pity, since this nuclear power plant was equipped with the most powerful water-graphite reactors at that time, which provided high power output.
Perspectives of the Ignalina NPP operation
They were truly bright.You can endlessly talk about the prospects for the operation of this power plant. Thanks to her, Lithuania received very cheap electricity in large quantities. The country needs only 10 billion kWh per year. However, the two working units produced a total of 12.26 billion kW / h of electricity for the same period of time. In general, taking into account other hydroelectric power stations and windmills, the country had 13.9 kW / h per year. Consequently, 3.9 kWh of electricity could be sold to nearby states. And imagine how many times the country's energy capacity increased if the third and fourth energy blocks were built!
In addition to cheap electricity for the population andproduction, as well as the ability to fill your budget with currency from the sale of extra kW / h, the country could receive huge investments in the field of industry. After all, major financiers are always looking for comfortable countries with cheap electricity. Lithuania in this case is an ideal platform. What can we say about the political dividends that the country would receive from the energy-dependent countries from it. Unfortunately, all this was lost, and today in Lithuania the Ignalina nuclear power plant practically does not work.
Sound reasons for closing
After the collapse of the USSR, the Government of Lithuania andpeople raved about the idea of joining the EU. One of the conditions was the closure of the Ignalina NPP in order to ensure safety. The fact is that at this power plant, reactors were used that were structurally similar to the reactors at the Chernobyl NPP. And although the Ignalina NPP was one of the safest stations according to the conclusion of the IAEA, the EU demanded that it be closed. Otherwise, membership in this organization would be impossible.
The Government of Lithuania has agreed to these terms and conditions.decided to stop the station. In 2004, the work of the first unit was discontinued, and in 2009 - the second one. Lithuania has fully met the conditions for obtaining EU membership, however, the process of completely stopping and deactivating the units is still ongoing, and its completion is scheduled for 2034.
The real reasons for closing
Many experts believe that the real reasonfor the closure of INPP, there was an unwillingness of EU leaders to have a strong member in the European Union, which would become a full participant along with the leaders. After the power plant was closed, Lithuania was forced to buy expensive energy abroad, and its budget began to be filled with new money.
В результате она стала зависимой от ЕС страной, which, if necessary, can accept obviously unfavorable conditions for it in favor of other EU states. But if Lithuania had such a solid instrument for attracting investments and capital to the budget, the government of the country would behave differently.
INPP today
How the object looks today can be seen onPhotos of Ignalina NPP, located in this article. Unfortunately, it does not produce electricity today and is at a stop stage. The fact is that closing a power plant is a complex and lengthy process. You can not just hang a lock on the gate, because nuclear fuel needs care.
As of January 20, 2017, at the stationWorked 1991 people. All of them carry out work related to the storage of spent nuclear fuel, produce decontamination and dismantling of equipment that is left at the nuclear power plant, create burial grounds for short-lived low-level waste.
Estimated completion date for all works is August 2034. Until that time, the dismantling of the reactor units of the first and second units should be carried out.
