Ukrainian forces press on in Kursk with eye on key nuclear plant

Ukrainians have increasingly been attacking Russian enemy positions recently. Evidence of bolder military actions includes the assault on the Kursk region beyond the Ukrainian border. The defenders already control Sudzha, and from there a straightforward route leads to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. What is this facility, and can the Ukrainians reach it?

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have been conducting offensive operations in the Russian Kursk region for several days. Despite the strenuous efforts of the Russians, the defenders are not halting their advance and are taking more positions. However, the exact goal of these actions remains unclear. There are suggestions that Ukrainians intend to seize the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which is about 68.4 miles (110 km) from the Ukrainian border and about 25 miles (40 km) from the city of Kursk.

For the Russian Federation, Kursk and the adjacent power plant, the largest city in the Kursk region, is an exceptionally important strategic facility. However, Vladyslav Selezniov, a colonel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, tempers expectations and notes that, in his opinion, the defenders are unlikely to take control of the power plant.

“It is unlikely that our army will attempt to take control of the nuclear power plant,” explains the military officer in an interview with the Ukrainian portal Liga.net. He cites two main reasons for this: “First, the distance. Second, the absolute dominance of Russian aviation at such distances will not allow for stable logistics and the success of the army's actions at the power plant,” the expert indicates.

Selezniov notes that Ukrainian troops are indeed taking more points in the Kursk region and building fortifications there, but under current conditions, such actions can be carried out "for a certain period." The presence of Ukrainians at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant would be hard to maintain due to the great distance from Ukraine. At this distance, Russian aviation can effectively cut off Ukrainians from the supply of all resources, including military equipment.

The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is one of the key facilities in the Russian Federation, supplying energy to nearly the entire Kursk region (with an area of almost 11,583 square miles and a population of over a million residents) and 19 other regions. Its output places it among the three largest nuclear power plants (out of 11 in the entire country) and four largest electricity producers in Russia.

Construction of the facility began in the early 1970s. As a result, a power plant with a structure nearly identical to that of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was built. From the beginning, it was based on RBMK-1000 reactors, the same as those used in the Ukrainian facility and built exclusively in the Soviet Union. This was because RBMK reactors did not meet safety standards in the West. Three of the four RBMK-1000 reactors (Kursk-2, Kursk-3, Kursk-4) are still operational at the Kursk plant. One of them (Kursk-1) was decommissioned on 19 December 2021.

Aging technology responsible for electricity production has forced the Russian authorities to find new reactors to replace RBMK in the future. In 2018, construction of the Kursk II power plant block began, and it was decided to use modern (and still domestic) nuclear technology. The choice fell on WWER-TOI, a 3+ generation nuclear reactor developed by the Russian state corporation Rosatom.

Construction of the new block of the Kursk nuclear power plant is ongoing. The facility is to be a pilot project for the WWER-TOI project and – according to plans – will be 25% more efficient than conventional WWER-1000 reactors. The contractor assumes that the new technology's lifespan will be 60 years (with the possibility of extension up to 100 years). The thermal power of the new reactor is expected to be 3,300 MWt (megawatts of thermal power).

According to the contractor, the uranium oxide (enriched U-235) powered WWER-TOI reactor includes safety systems based on emergency cooling of the fuel tank and its planned cooling, emergency boron injection, and steam generator cooling, in addition to the presence of an emergency power supply system (diesel generators). The modernised pressure vessel made from steel with increased resistance to nuclear radiation is also significant for safety. The manufacturer has ensured high durability against extreme events, such as earthquakes.

Rosatom assumes that the WWER-TOI will become the standard for newly built nuclear power plants. Plans also include exporting this technology. The efficiency and safety of the new generation Russian reactor are confirmed by the certificate obtained in 2019 after the Harmonised European Requirements for New Nuclear Power Plants (EUR) inspection.