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Nuclear power plant in the world map. Rating of the most powerful nuclear power plants in the world

Nuclear energy is one of the most developing areas of industry, which is dictated by the constant increase in electricity consumption. Many countries have their own sources of energy production using “peaceful atoms”.

Map of nuclear power plants in Russia (RF)

Russia is included in this number. The history of Russian nuclear power plants begins back in 1948, when the inventor of the Soviet atomic bomb I.V. Kurchatov initiated the design of the first nuclear power plant on the territory of the then Soviet Union. Nuclear power plants in Russia originate from the construction of the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, which became not only the first in Russia, but the first nuclear power plant in the world.

Russia is a unique country that has full-cycle nuclear energy technology, which means all stages, from ore mining to the final production of electricity. At the same time, thanks to its large territories, Russia has a sufficient supply of uranium, both in the form of the earth’s subsoil and in the form of weapons equipment.

On currently nuclear power plants in Russia includes 10 operating facilities that provide a capacity of 27 GW (GigaWatt), which is approximately 18% of the country's energy mix. Modern development technology makes it possible to make Russian nuclear power plants safe for environment objects, despite the fact that the use atomic energy is the most dangerous production from the point of view of industrial safety.

The map of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Russia includes not only operating plants, but also those under construction, of which there are about 10. At the same time, those under construction include not only full-fledged nuclear power plants, but also promising developments in the form of creating a floating nuclear power plant, which is characterized by mobility.

The list of nuclear power plants in Russia is as follows:

The current state of nuclear energy in Russia allows us to talk about the presence of great potential, which in the foreseeable future can be realized in the creation and design of new types of reactors, allowing the generation of large volumes of energy at lower costs.

After the terrible events that occurred in Japan, nuclear power plants began to attract a lot of attention from the world community. Disputes about the safety of nuclear power plants for the environment and human life continue to this day. But such power plants require a meager amount of fuel, which is their undoubted advantage over other types of similar structures.

There are more than 400 nuclear power plants in the world, and those discussed below are the most powerful of them.

For comparison: The capacity of the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant was 4,000 MW.

Our rating opens with a station located on the Japanese island of Honshu. After the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese approached the construction of a new nuclear power plant with high level professionalism and extreme caution: only three of the five reactors are currently in operation. Two reactors were shut down due to technical work to improve the safety system and protection against natural disasters.

9. Balakovo NPP (Russia) – 4000 MW

Balakovskaya is rightfully considered the largest nuclear power plant in Russia and the most powerful power plant of its kind. This is where all nuclear fuel research in our country began. All latest developments were tested here, and only after that received permission for further use at other Russian and foreign nuclear power plants. The Balakovo nuclear power plant produces a fifth of all nuclear power plants in Russia.

8. Palo Verde NPP (USA) – 4174 MW

It is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the United States. But today, a capacity of 4174 MW is not the highest figure, so this nuclear power plant occupies only eighth place in our rating. But Palo Verde is unique in its own way: it is the only nuclear power plant in the world that is not located on the shore of a large body of water. The concept behind the reactors is cooling by using wastewater from nearby communities. However, violation of the traditions of designing nuclear power plants by American engineers raises many questions about the safety of such a power plant.

7. Ohi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan) – 4494 MW

Another representative of the Japanese nuclear industry. The reserve of this nuclear power plant has as many as four operating reactors with a total capacity of 4494 MW. Paradoxically, this is the safest nuclear power plant in Japan. In its entire history, Okha has not had a single emergency situation related to security. Interesting fact: after the “freeze” of work at all nuclear power plants and a whole series of technical inspections throughout the country in connection with the Fukushima disaster, the Ohi nuclear power plant was the first to resume operation.

6. NPP Paluel (France) – 5320 MW

Although this “French woman” is located on the shore of a reservoir, like other nuclear power plants, it still has one characteristic feature. Not far from the nuclear power plant is the commune of Paluel (the question of what the station got its name in honor of immediately disappears). The fact is that all the residents of this commune are part-time workers of the nuclear power plant (there are about 1,200 of them). A sort of communist approach to the problem of employment.

5. Gravelines NPP (France) – 5460 MW

Gravelines is the most powerful nuclear power plant in France. It is located on the shores of the North Sea, the waters of which are used to cool nuclear reactors. France is actively developing its scientific and technical potential in the nuclear field and has on its territory big number Nuclear power plants, which together have more than fifty nuclear reactors.

4. Hanul Nuclear Power Plant (South Korea) – 5900 MW

Hanul is not the only nuclear power plant in South Korea with a capacity of 5900 MW: the Korean “arsenal” also has the Hanbit station. The question arises, why exactly Hanul occupies fourth place in our rating? The fact is that in the next 5 years, leading Korean specialists in the field of nuclear energy plan to “accelerate” Hanul to a record 8,700 MW. Perhaps a new leader will soon top our rating.

3. Zaporozhye NPP (Ukraine) – 6000 MW

Having started its work in 1993, Zaporozhye NPP became the most powerful station in the entire former Soviet space. Today it is the third nuclear power plant in the world and the first in Europe in terms of power.

Interesting fact: The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was built in close proximity to the city of Energodar. With the start of construction, a powerful flow of investment poured into the city, and the region as a whole received an economic boost, which made it possible to develop the social and industrial spheres at a high level.

2. Bruce NPP (Canada) – 6232 MW

Perhaps the most powerful and largest nuclear power plant in size in all of Canada and the entire North American continent. The Bruce Nuclear Power Plant is distinguished by the scale of its area - no less than 932 hectares of land. It has as many as 8 powerful nuclear reactors in its arsenal, which brings “Bruce” to second place in our rating. Until the early 2000s, no nuclear power plant could outperform the Zaporozhye NPP, but Canadian engineers succeeded. Another feature of the station is its “hedonic” location on the shores of picturesque Lake Huron.

1. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP (Japan) – 8212 MW

Even the 2007 earthquake, after which the power in nuclear reactors had to be reduced, did not prevent this energy giant from maintaining world leadership. The maximum capacity of the nuclear power plant is 8212 MW, now its potential has been realized only at 7965 MW. Today it is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world.

Despite the ambiguous attitude towards nuclear power plants (which is quite justified by many objective reasons), no one will argue with the fact that this is the most environmentally friendly production of all currently existing: there is practically no waste from nuclear power plant activities. In turn, responsibility for safety lies on the shoulders of engineers. Literacy in design and construction - and the nuclear industry will have no enemies left.

Today, the attitude towards nuclear power plants in the world is not at all unambiguous. And there are many reasons for this, because if such energy sources break down, literally the entire planet could be in danger. But the world will not be able to turn away from nuclear energy anytime soon. The cost of its production is less, there are no harmful emissions, delivery of fuel to the station costs a penny - all the advantages are obvious. All that remains is to sort out safety during design and construction - and the “peaceful atom” will have no enemies left! So, which nuclear power plants are the most powerful and where are they located?

In 2010, the Japanese nuclear power plant reached an installed capacity of 8212 MW. This is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world. And even after the earthquake in 2007, when emergency situations arose at the station, after all the restoration work (the power had to be reduced), this energy giant remained in first place in the world (today it is 7965 MW). After the Fukushima incident, the plant was shut down to check all systems and then restarted.

The largest nuclear power plant in Canada itself and the entire North American continent is the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant. It was built in 1987 on the shores of picturesque Lake Huron (Ontario). The station is huge in area and occupies more than 932 hectares of land. Its 8 nuclear reactors provide a total power of 6232 MW and bring Canada to second place on our list. It is worth noting that until the early 2000s, the Ukrainian Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was considered the second largest in the world. But the Canadians bypassed Ukraine, managing to “overclock” their reactors to such high levels.

The third in the world and the first in Europe in terms of power is the Zaporozhye NPP. The station became fully operational in 1993, becoming the most powerful in the entire former USSR. The total capacity of the enterprise is 6000 MW. It is located on the shore of the Kakhovka reservoir near the city of Energodar, Zaporozhye region. The nuclear power plant employs 11.5 thousand people. At one time, with the start of construction of this station, the entire region received a powerful economic boost, thanks to which it grew both socially and industrially.

This station is located near the city of Uljin in South Korea and has a capacity of 5900 MW. It is worth saying that the Koreans have another nuclear power plant identical in power - Hanbit, but Hanul is planned to be “overclocked” to a record 8,700 MW. In the next 5 years, Korean engineers promise to finish the work, and then perhaps there will be a new champion on our list. We'll see.

The most powerful station in France it is “Graveline”. Its total capacity reaches 5460 MW. The nuclear power plant was built on the shores of the North Sea, the waters of which are involved in the cooling process of all 6 of its reactors. France, like no other country in Europe, develops its own technologies and developments in the nuclear field and has on its territory the largest and most powerful nuclear power plants, and these are more than 50 nuclear reactors.

The total capacity of this “French” is 5320 MW. It is also located on the coast, but has one interesting feature: in the immediate vicinity of the nuclear power plant there is the Paluel commune (after which, in fact, the station is named), and so, almost all of the 1,200 station employees are residents of this very commune. A truly “Soviet” approach to the problem of employment!

And again Japan. The plant's four nuclear reactors produce 4,494 MW. The station is considered one (if not the most) reliable and does not have a single emergency or safety incident in its “track record”. This issue is more than relevant in Japan after the events in Fukushima. Let's just say that after the operation of all Japanese nuclear power plants was stopped to check the technical condition after the earthquake, it was the Ohi plant that returned to operation first.

The most powerful US nuclear power plant is only in eighth position on our list. The three reactors of this station produce a power of 4174 MW. This is not the highest figure today, but this nuclear power plant is unique in its own way. The fact is that Wintersburg is the only nuclear power plant in the world that is not located on the shore of a large body of water. The technical highlight of this nuclear power plant is that it uses wastewater nearest settlements(the city of Palo Verde, for example). One can only be surprised at the determination of American engineers who, contrary to safety traditions, decided to take such a bold step when designing this nuclear power plant.

The most powerful nuclear power plant in Russia was put into operation in 1985. Today its total capacity is 4000 MW. The nuclear power plant is located on the shore of the Saratov reservoir and provides a fifth of the energy production of all nuclear power plants in Russia. The station's staff is 3,770 people. Balakovo NPP is the “pioneer” of all nuclear fuel research in Russia. In general, we can say that all the latest developments were put into operation at this nuclear power plant. And only after passing practical tests here, they received permission for use at other nuclear power plants in Russia and other countries.

The last station on our list is located on the island of Honshu in Japan. The power of this nuclear power plant is 3617 MW. Today, 3 out of 5 reactors are in operation. The remaining 2 were stopped due to technical work to improve safety and protection from natural disasters. And again, after Fukushima, the Japanese demonstrate high professionalism and organization, in relation not only to themselves, but also to the whole world.

As soon as scientists managed to carry out a reaction to split the atomic nucleus, the question immediately arose about the prospects practical application this remarkable discovery. Considering the political situation developing in the world, it is natural that the first application for the new discovery was to use it to create a weapon of unprecedented power - the atomic bomb. But, in parallel with the use of the reaction of fission of the atomic nucleus for mass murder, a number of scientists raised the question of a “peaceful atom”.

Leadership on the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes was immediately seized by Soviet Union. Already in 1954, the first industrial nuclear power plant was built in Obninsk. Its power was 5 MW. However Western countries did not remain aloof from the opportunity to join in the use of such a powerful source of energy. The first to put into operation an industrial atomic reactor Great Britain - it happened in 1956, and the nuclear power plant was named Calder Hall. A year later, a similar power plant was built in the USA in the town of Shippingport. Its power was 69 MW and at that time it was the most powerful nuclear power plant.

Naturally, like any other work of human hands, the development of nuclear energy could not do without accidents. Let's look at the most famous of them.

Three most famous nuclear power plant accidents

Trimal Island Nuclear Power Plant Accident

This incident is the largest nuclear disaster in the United States to date. On March 28, 1979, more than half of the core of the second reactor melted. This led to the release of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere, and the local river was contaminated with water containing radioactive elements. Due to the accident, about 200,000 people living in the danger zone were evacuated.

Accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant

As a result of the powerful earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011, the reactor cooling system in the first unit of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant was shut down in Japan. This led to a fuel melt and explosion. The result was the emergence of a ten-kilometer exclusion zone around the plant and a revision of energy policy by the Japanese government

The Chernobyl accident

The largest nuclear disaster to date occurred on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. As a result of the destruction of part of the reactor core at power unit No. 4, more than 8 tons of radioactive fuel were released into the air. The area within a radius of thirty kilometers was contaminated with radiation, and the total area of the zone that experienced the consequences of this accident exceeded 160 thousand km2.

From this short list of disasters, it is clear that nuclear power plants can pose a serious danger. So why do they not only continue to be used, but also why is there a constant increase in the number of countries wishing to build a nuclear power plant on their territory? There are several reasons for this.

The main advantages of nuclear energy

Nuclear power plants are environmentally friendly. They do not emit into the atmosphere harmful substances(if, of course, they operate normally) like thermal stations and do not burn oxygen. For their construction there is no need to flood a huge territory, which is a necessary condition during the construction of a hydroelectric power station. However, there are two problems: nuclear power plants are characterized by a high level of thermal pollution and the disposal of spent fuel is necessary. And if the first problem can be solved by using the generated heat in the economy, then the reprocessing of spent fuel for reactors still remains challenging task.

The cost of nuclear energy is relatively low and is little subject to price fluctuations. If hydrocarbon prices are constantly changing, then the price of fuel for nuclear power plants is more stable.

Fuel for nuclear power plants has a very small volume, especially compared to coal-fired power plants, which makes it possible to build nuclear power plants without regard to the availability of raw materials. What is even more important is that the explored reserves of uranium ores are still very far from being fully depleted, unlike, for example, oil and gas reserves.

The most powerful nuclear power plants in the world

There are now almost two hundred nuclear power plants operating in the world. Their geography is quite extensive - there are nuclear power plants in 31 countries. Let's take a closer look at the largest nuclear power plants. Here are the top five nuclear power plants with the largest installed capacity.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa (Japan)

This power plant has seven boiling water reactors (of which two are improved). Its power is 7965 MW. After the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, it was decommissioned, but in 2012 it came back into operation.

Zaporozhye (Ukraine)

This power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Its six reactors can generate power of 6,000 MW.

Hanul (South Korea)

It is one of the pair of largest nuclear power plants in South Korea. It has six operating and two reactors under construction. The power of the commissioned reactors is 5881 megawatts.

Hanbit (South Korea)

The power of the six pressurized water reactors at the Hanbit power station is 5875 MW. Until 2013, this station was called Yongwan, but due to requests from local fishermen, it received a new name, since many buyers associated the caught fish with nuclear energy.

Nord (France)

This power plant is located in the canton of Gravelines. It is the most powerful nuclear power plant in France, and its capacity is 5460 MW.

What about Russia? What place nuclear power occupies in the country that is its homeland? There are currently 10 nuclear power plants in operation in Russia, producing 18% of all electricity generated in the country. Specific gravity nuclear energy in the overall energy balance is not very large, which is understandable given the rich hydrocarbon reserves and the huge hydro potential of the country.

It is quite difficult to determine the most powerful nuclear power plant in Russia - four nuclear power plants have four reactors, each of which has a capacity of 1000 megawatts. These are Balakovo, Leningrad, Kursk and Kalinin nuclear power plants. Therefore, to determine the largest nuclear power plant in Russian Federation it is necessary to resort to an additional indicator - generated electricity per year. According to this indicator, the title of “the largest nuclear power plant in Russia” belongs to the Balakovo NPP - it produces more than 30 billion kWh per year. The same power plant also occupies an honorable tenth place in the world ranking of the most powerful nuclear power plants.

Due to the ever-decreasing reserves of hydrocarbon raw materials and the high cost of alternative energy, nuclear energy has all the prerequisites to take a leading position in the issue of providing humanity with electricity. Unless, of course, a breakthrough in the field of controlled thermonuclear reactions is achieved in the near future.

Literally the entire planet could be in danger. But the world will not be able to turn away from nuclear energy anytime soon. The cost of its production is lower, there are no harmful emissions, delivery of fuel to the station costs a penny - all the advantages are obvious. All that remains is to sort out safety during design and construction - and the “peaceful atom” will have no enemies left! So, which nuclear power plants are the most powerful and where are they located?

1 NPP Kashiwazaki-Kariwa (Japan) - 8212 MW

2 Bruce NPP (Canada) - 6232 MW

3 Zaporozhye NPP (Ukraine) - 6000 MW

4 Hanul NPP (South Korea) - 5900 MW

5 Gravelines NPP (France) - 5460 MW

The most powerful station in France is Gravelines. Its total capacity reaches 5460 MW. The nuclear power plant was built on the shores of the North Sea, the waters of which are involved in the cooling process of all 6 of its reactors. France, like no other country in Europe, develops its own technologies and developments in the nuclear field and has on its territory the largest and most powerful nuclear power plants, and these are more than 50 nuclear reactors.

6 NPP Paluel (France) - 5320 MW

The total capacity of this “French” is 5320 MW. It is also located on the coast, but has one interesting feature: in the immediate vicinity of the nuclear power plant there is the Paluel commune (after which, in fact, the station is named), and so, almost all of the station’s 1,200 employees are residents of this very commune. A truly “Soviet” approach to the problem of employment!

7 Ohi NPP (Japan) - 4494 MW

8 Palo Verde NPP (USA) - 4174 MW

The most powerful US nuclear power plant is only in eighth position on our list. The three reactors of this station produce a power of 4174 MW. This is not the highest figure today, but this nuclear power plant is unique in its own way. The fact is that Wintersburg is the only nuclear power plant in the world that is not located on the shore of a large body of water. The technical highlight of this nuclear power plant is that wastewater from nearby settlements (the city of Palo Verde, for example) is used to cool the reactors. One can only be surprised at the determination of American engineers who, contrary to safety traditions, decided to take such a bold step when designing this nuclear power plant.

9 Balakovo NPP (Russia) - 4000 MW

10 Hamaoka NPP (Japan) - 3617 MW

The last station on our list is located on the island of Honshu in Japan. The power of this nuclear power plant is 3617 MW. Today, 3 out of 5 reactors are in operation. The remaining 2 have been stopped due to technical work to improve safety and protection from natural disasters. And again, after Fukushima, the Japanese demonstrate high professionalism and organization, in relation not only to themselves, but also to the whole world.