Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant

Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was the world's first grid-connected nuclear power plant. It was located in Obninsk, a city in the Kaluga Oblast, Russia. The plant was operational from 1954 to 2002.

History

The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was commissioned on June 27, 1954, marking a significant milestone in the history of nuclear energy. It was the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for a power grid. The plant was designed and constructed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.

Design and Operation

The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was a pressurized water reactor (PWR), a type of nuclear reactor that uses water as both a coolant and a neutron moderator. The plant had a single reactor with a capacity of 5 megawatts (MW), which was small compared to modern standards. The reactor used uranium as fuel and was cooled and moderated by high-pressure water.

Decommissioning

The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was decommissioned in 2002 after nearly 48 years of operation. The decommissioning process involved the safe removal and disposal of radioactive materials and the decontamination of the site.

Legacy

The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant played a crucial role in the development of the global nuclear power industry. It demonstrated the feasibility of using nuclear energy for electricity generation on a commercial scale. Today, nuclear power plants around the world continue to use the basic design principles established by the Obninsk plant.

See also

• List of nuclear power plants
• Nuclear power in Russia
• History of nuclear power