The Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant I is located in the Russian town of Sosnovy Bor which on the Gulf of Finland. Sosnovy Bor is about forty miles west of the major Russian city of Saint Petersburg. Construction of the LNPP I began in 1970. There are four RBMK-1000 reactors at the LNPP I. These reactors are similar to the reactors at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The LNPP I is scheduled for decommissioning in 2016.
The RBMK-1000 reactors were based on early Russian military reactors. They have a simple design and can burn natural uranium. They were very popular in the early days of the Soviet nuclear power industry and there are still a few operating in Russia. The cooling system recirculates water into the reactor core where it is converted to steam. The steam drives the turbines and then is condensed back to liquid water to repeat the cycle. In this type of reactor, the steam is radioactive.
The LNPP I had a series of serious problems including fires and leaks of radioactive materials in the 1970s. More serious problems occured in the 1990s and continued into the 2000s. On a number of occasions, leaks of radioactive liquids and gases were not reported to the public in the vicinity of the plant. The projected engineered life-spans of two of the four RBMK reactors at LNPP ran in 2003 and 2005 but they continued to be operated without the required environmental impact statements. They were operating in what is referred to as un-sustained transitional regimes which often result in the release of radioactivity.
A few days ago, a steam pipe broke in one of the LNPP I RBMK reactors and released a huge cloud of radioactive steam into the environment. The reactor was immediately shut down but radioactive steam kept leaking. The authorities reported that there was no evidence of increased radioactivity in Sosnovy Bor but skeptics claimed that was only because the winds blew the cloud of steam away from the town. The prevailing winds carried the cloud of radioactive steam west towards the Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland.
Although the operators of the plant announced that the leaking area had been isolated and there was no danger, some citizens took iodine tablets. Others withdrew money from their banking accounts and fled the area leading to traffic jams. There is wide-spread skepticism about the honesty of government officials with respect to accidents at nuclear plants in Russia. There is a history of official denials of released radioactivity and danger to the public in the old Soviet Union and in Russia.
As the nuclear reactors that were built in the 1970s continue to reach the end of their operational lifespan, there will be more and more accidents and releases of radioactive materials. These will be publicized and scare the public. Even if there is little danger to the public, the negative attitude toward nuclear power will only increase with time. It will become more and more difficult to persuade investors to invest in and local residents to accept the siting of new nuclear power plants across the globe.
The safe operation of existing nuclear power plants depends on a robust nuclear industry. As the industry goes into decline, it will become more difficult to find replacement parts and skilled technicians. This will increase the probability of more accidents. Nuclear power never was a good idea and, with every passing day, it becomes a greater threat to public safety. All existing nuclear power plants should be shut down as soon as possible.
