The Crimean NPP is the most expensive atomic reactor in the world. For the service of power plant at the Kerch Peninsula, a whole city was erected - Schelkino. A fair infrastructure was created. Specialists from all over the Soviet Union were invited. Less than a year was not enough to launch the reactor, then the Crimea would have been able to provide electricity independently.
From the Crimean nuclear power plant now there is little left. On the huge territory abandoned and dilapidated buildings. The remains of the shops are thick covered with grass and trees. Things that have had at least the slightest value, dug, extended and exported. The atomic reactor, the casing of the mine and the control panel of the NPP cut on the non-ferrous metal. And if the precious metals and equipment were taken first, today you can get used only by iron in concrete slabs.

In a hundred meters from the reactor workshop, several people in the robes monotonously disassemble the next building. The tractor crashes the wall, the crane takes the concrete slab to the ground, where workers are broken. They want to get to the reinforcement hidden inside. From the concrete workshop, only the foundation and pile of stone crumbs remained. Further fate still preserved buildings scares its predictability.


Photo by Oleg Stonko


A huge gray box of the reactor workshop Dominant is towers above the territory of the object. The workshop with two nine-storey buildings and width of more than 70 meters is built on a six-meter foundation. You can enter it through a huge round hole. The metal door of the half meter thickly dragged. There is no radiation danger, since the nuclear fuel did not have time. The entrance is free, the protection is absent.

The construction accommodates 1,300 rooms, box-rooms of various purposes and, accordingly, sizes. Inside boxes are empty and dusty. Somewhere hanging scraps of wires, garbage is lying. Light in the reactor workshop does not penetrate at all. Heavy silence, late echo steps and closed space space thickens the atmosphere. It is anxious here. Casual roots are nervous. Nevertheless, it is not in the reactor. This can be described by one phrase: "terribly interesting."

"In Crimea, everything was done slowly."

Topov Vitaly, Head of the Reactor Workshop:

- Above the project of the Crimean nuclear power plant, scientists and specialists begin to work since 1968. In 1975, the satellite city is laid - shortcino, named so in honor of the Soviet athletic physicist Kirill Schelkina. This is a village in which nuclear scientists and their families should have been living. When in June 1981 I arrive in the Leninsky district, on the place of the future station, it can be said, still wheat aggregated and just started to dig meat. Here I was sent from the Kola NPP. After all, in Soviet times, as it was: I studied at the university, you start with the lowest posts, then rising above. Immediately by the head of the workshop, no one would appoint me.

By plan, the power plant should have earned four years and ten months. But the leadership was recruited in advance: senior engineers and chiefs of four main workshops. This was the rule. They had to control the flow of documentation, equipment, follow the course of construction and installation work, gradually gaining staff. Salary during this period was paid, of course, small.

It was important for me to understand the geography of the workshop. When the reactor is working, you have a few seconds so as not to get a deadly dose of irradiation. You need to instantly act, to know exactly where which valve is located. Even in full de-energization mode, you must be able to work to work like submariners.

In 1986, the reactor had to be launched, but due to the low pace of construction did not have time. I associate it with the specifics of the Crimea. Everything was done here slowly. For example, a year had time to build one kindergarten. And it seems to be money, but the party doubted the individual parties against. And then rushed at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and construction stalled. The wave of discontent has risen. Many believed that the Crimea would become the second Chernobyl.


Photo by Oleg Stonko


In 1988, I was sent to Cuba, where I worked for three years at NPP in Khuragua. When he returned, the station was already closed and separated. Her readiness was about 90 percent. It remained less than a year on installation and commissioning. If you had time to run, the station would not be closed. In addition, the warehouses have stored equipment for another two block. Moreover, equipment is high quality, with imported details. Take Vladimir Tansky, director of the Crimean NPP, the situation under control and keep the course of events, would not take anything. It was necessary to wait when the hype with Chernobyl will drop, will not be so screaming.

We planned to build four reactor blocks, each of them would produce one million megawatt. Crimea with his head grabbed one million, so the first block was built to abandon electricity overflow from the mainland. The second block was needed to provide hot water aeodosia and kerch, save the peninsula from coal dependence and boiler rooms. Through the third block, they wanted to make sea water. The whole world is engaged in this. We wanted to fill the Crimea with fresh water and do not depend on the water from the Dnieper. The fourth block is for sale, in the Caucasus, earn money.

"The Crimean NPP was mistakenly compared with Chernobyl"

Anatoly Chekhute, Master of Master of Instrumentation and Automation (Kipia):

- I arrived at the station immediately, as I gave direction: I wanted to get an apartment early early. Later you could not have time. My specialization is the maintenance and operation of various control and measuring equipment. Prior to that, she worked for ten years at NPP in Tomsk. It was a secret object, and in official documents, it was as a chemical plant. Upon arrival in Schelkino I had an irradiation level of 25 x-rays. Five years later, it fell to 15. Now, probably, there is no longer anything. Although a long time has stably held a level of 5 x-rays.

One of the problems of closing the Crimean NPP is universal classification. Lack of publicity. In Soviet times, nothing was disclosed: projects, research, data. When environmentalists in 1986 raised the wave of indignation, they did not have official information, so any assumptions could be built. Even the most ridiculous. As an example, in the event of an accident at nuclear power plants with a constant southeast wind, radioactive sediments could fall into foros. Where in the summer, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev rested at the cottage. According to the result, he was inflated a terrible story.

Crimean NPP became mistakenly compared with Chernobyl. After all, these are two different types of reactor. In Chernobyl, RBMK-1000 was used, in the Crimea - VVER-1000. I will not go into subtleties. But this is how if water is warm over the fire in a saucepan without a lid or a closed thermal storage. The difference is huge.


Photo by Oleg Stonko


The reactor did not produce plutonium, but gave steam. Couple rotated the turbine, they produced electricity. If in Chernobyl RBMK was buried to the ground for nine floors, the Crimean WWER - gently placed on a small platform. There was a three-stage protection system. The reactor room closed the solid layer of reinforced concrete. In an emergency, the doors were tightly closed, air was saved from the room. When an explosion in vacuum, the pressure was zero. So the disaster could not happen. By the way, the reactor workshop building could withstand a direct clash with a jet plane.

The same water-water atomic reactors are used on submarines. The type is the same, only smaller size. In 1988, the Soviet Union of Atomic boats was 350 pieces. And still no accident occurred. From the point of view of physics and design - a very reliable apparatus.

Another argument of opponents of construction was a small study of the placement of nuclear power plants. And specifically - seismic. Allegedly, the reactor was erected on the site of a tectonic fault, and an accident could occur with small underground jogs. But later, in 1989, when independent Italian seismologists arrived, they concluded that it was possible to build at least ten reactors, there was no breakdown. So, Soviet specialists were right, and the place is selected successful. The reactor itself was built so as to withstand the earthquake in nine points. But it was already late, and the station was closed.

50 tons of couple per hour

Andrei Argeantsev, Head of the TSPK Heat Space:

- CTPK is the workshop of thermal and underground communications. Under my leadership, there was a commissioning boiler room or PC. If you explain easier, then the startup boiler room is four boilers that were given 50 tons of steam per hour. Due to which hot water and warmth were served in the shortcino. Now in the city of the words these forgot - "hot water", and earlier there were 75 degrees in the crane.

The main goal of the PPC is commissioning turbines, heating the reactor. Without it, no nuclear power plant is built. But after having completed its task, the boiler room is dismantled, and at its base, for example, the gym.


Photo by Oleg Stonko


The basic project of the Crimean "Atomk" was special. There was no such thing at that time anywhere. Turbines should have been cooled by sea water. Water we planned to take from the Aktash reservoir, use it as a pond cooler. In Aktash, the water came from the Azov Sea. That is, the stock was limitless. As a result, NPP produced environmentally friendly energy.

After the closure of the nuclear power plant, the shortcino gradually dies. I think it is not necessary to explain what is happening with the city when he is deprived of the main enterprise. The population from 25 thousand decreased to 11. In terms of intellectual potential, Schelkino was considered the most advanced place in the Crimea. Here every second has two higher education. Specialists of the top pilot from all over the Soviet Union. And instead of the industrial heart of the Peninsula, Schelkino becomes a resort village. What you see now is a tenth of what the city could become. There is no streets here, just numbered at home. From attractions - market, city council and housing and communal services.

Some nuclear makers are leaving, others remain. We left those who were where to return. Around the union frozen the construction of nuclear power plants. There was no work. Here at least the apartment remained. Of course, in the specialty no one has already worked. I now occupy the position of director of the boarding house.

"The nuclear power plant is needed"

Sergey Vavran, Senior Turbine Management Engineer, Director of KP "Shchelkin Industrial Park Management Company":

- It is difficult to say who was right, and who was to blame the fact that the Crimean NPP began to raise. The property was redistributed between customers and contractors. In construction, about a hundred firms were involved. Each of them wanted to return their money, so the equipment was sold. In addition, after the collapse of the Union, something was perceived as a gift, so they dragged that they could. There was no loud thing about this, because there was no talk about plundering. Now you can not figure it out.


Photo by Oleg Stonko


Earth redesigned between construction participants. Someone refused someone from the sites, someone leaving. Part of the territory remained in the hands of owners and tenants, the rest passed to the ownership of the city. On a plot owned by the city council, it is planned to create an industrial park. The project began to be created in 2007. But due to the lack of funding, it was not implemented.

Now the project entered the federal target program for the development of industrial parks in the Crimea. On the development of the business plan will be allocated one billion 450 thousand rubles. Our task is to prepare everything for the future investor. Collect all documents, equip the territory, create infrastructure and so on. To remain just starting construction. The focus is most different: from the gas turbine station to the agricultural complex.

But ask any exploiter of our nuclear power plant from any exploiter, and he will answer: "The nuclear power plant is needed."

"All Crimeans would have cancer"

Valery Mitrokhin, Poet, Prosaik, Essayrs, Member of the Union of Writers of Russia:

- Immediately after adopting the members of the Union of Writers, I am sent to the construction of the Crimean NPP. There I am writing a book essays "Sunflowers." Three chapters cause an ambiguous reaction. They are devoted to the problems that could arise as a result of the construction of the station. I was accused of undermining the country's material condition. About billion rubles have already spent on the object. At the same rate, one dollar was equal to 80 kopecks, that is, looked at the bottom up. A lot of money. Therefore, NPP is rightfully considered the most expensive unfinished in the world.

The book about the builders of the Sun came out in 1984. He refused to throw away, for it they stopped printing for ten years, was not allowed in the regional television and radio.

The problems were, contractors and nuclear makers knew about them. All silent. When he began to dig deeper, communicate with specialists, it came across such a volume of information that it was impossible not to write. It threatened the disaster. Building the station even in all respects, the second Chernobyl would have happened.

The first is the hired workers Halturili. Some norms were not respected, errors were committed. For example, the cement brand was confused. If you look at the buildings today, they suck, concrete crumbs. And not so much time passed. With his own eyes, I saw how the "glass" was built under the reactor. About any tightness of speech does not go. Leaks would be. There would be enough microscopic hole to irradiate the soil within a radius of tens of kilometers.


Photo by Oleg Stonko


The second is the specificity of the Crimean seismic. We are shaking annually. Underground shocks are small, but they are. And the tectonic spill exists. It runs away from the Feodosi bay to the Kazantpian Bay. Two plates are constantly in contact with each other. So far, the construction of a power plant was, not far from the coast, it appeared in the Azov, then the island disappeared. Bright confirmation of my argument. It is not clear why seismologists hid this facts.

The third is cooling turbines with a reservoir. I will explain on my fingers. Water enters the station, cools the turbines, returns to the Aktash and again to the station. Constantly circulates and contaminated. To avoid this, they do access to the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. Now water is constantly updated. But what price? Ten years old, Azov turns into an atomic swamp. The Azov Sea is connected with the Black Sea. So, a little later, he will suffer the same fate. In turn of the Mediterranean Sea. Not to mention evaporation and precipitation. By this time, all Crimeans would have a cancer.

Upon learning of everything, I am becoming one of the nashels of the environmental movement. I am going to ride with my book in the Crimea. Understand, environmentalists did not inflate the problem from scratch, frightened by Chernobyl. Claims were. There were no answers. We wanted to save the peninsula. Of course, the project was good, the reactor is excellent and modern, but the place was chosen incorrect. I'm sure of that.

In 1990, the film "Who needs an atom". We are talking about the use of nuclear energy in the energy sector. It is noteworthy that one of the painting fragments is devoted to the problems of the Crimean NPP. In the passage, two opposite points of view are voiced.

80%, second - 18%).

Crimean nuclear power plant
Country the USSR the USSR → Russia / Ukraine
Location Crimea, Shchelkino
Status unfinished
Year of the start of construction
Commissioning planned in
Main characteristics
Electrical power, MW 0 (project - 4 000)
Equipment characteristics
Main fuel U 235.
Number of power unit 2 (built)
4 (planned)
Energy unit is built 0
Type of reactors VVER-1000.
Operated reactors 0
Closed reactors 4
On the map
Media Files on Wikisklad

Construction history

The first design surveys were held in 1968. Construction began in 1975. The station was supposed to provide electricity to the entire Crimean Peninsula, as well as to create a bore for the subsequent development of the region - metallurgical, engineering, chemical. The design capacity of the Crimean NPP 2 GW (2 of the power unit of 1 GW) with the possibility of subsequent capacity building up to 4 GW, a typical project provides for the placement on a station of 4 power units with VVER-1000/320 reactors.

In November 1980, the construction of the NPP was declared by the Republican Shock Komsomol Construction, and on January 26, 1984 - All-Union shock construction. After the construction of the satellite satellite, Schlalkino, the mound of the reservoir and auxiliary objects since 1982 began the construction of the NPP itself. The temporary line was laid from the Kerch branch of the railway, and two echelon building materials per day arrived in the midst of construction. In general, the construction went without significant deviations from the schedule with the planned launch of the 1st power unit in 1989.

The reactor building of the first power unit has already been delivered and installed on the project place a unique polar crane.

With this crane, further lifting and transport and construction and installation operations were carried out inside the reactor compartment:

  • during the construction of a nuclear power plant: operations for the movement and storage of equipment (parts of the reactor, steam generator housings, pressure compensator, main circulation pipelines and pumps, etc.), and then their installation for design places.
  • after starting the station: carry out transport and technological and repair work on the maintenance of a nuclear reactor.

According to the director of the Rosenergoatom concern, the construction of a new NPP on the peninsula is unpromising, and energy can be produced by wind, sunny and non-nuclear thermal power plants. From the current state of the site of the Crimean NPP, it is impossible to restore it. It also used the 1960s project, whereas now the construction of the NPP is conducted on the designs of the 2000s. Build a fully new NPP can be more costly more profitable than to restore the old, but architectural projects for nuclear power plants with small and medium power currently not. On the other hand, nuclear power plants, especially in the conditions of constantly undertaken by the Ukrainian authorities attempts to economically block the Crimea, would reliably provide the Crimea energy autonomy.

In February 2016, it was announced that a new industrial park will be broken at the site of the NPP. The State Council of the Republic of Crimea for Property and Land Relations agreed to the local ministry of property to write off from the balance of the unfinished Crimean nuclear power plant "by demolition". At the same time, building materials obtained as a result of dismantling are planned to be sent to the construction of a transport transition through the Kerch Strait.

  • Crimean NPP was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most expensive atomic reactor [ ]. This is due to the fact that, unlike the same type of Tatar NPP and Bashkir NPP stopped at the same time, it had a higher degree of readiness at the time of stopping construction.
  • In 1986, the experimental (first in the USSR) SES-5 solar power plant was built nearby. Near it on the eastern part of the coast of the Aktash reservoir, the experimental wind power plant of Southenergo is also located and eight old non-working experimental windmills established in Soviet times. Near it is the East-Crimean VES, consisting of 15 wind turbines with a capacity of 100 kW and two capacity of 600 kW each.
  • The NPP has a practically full "twin" - an abandoned unfinished NPP of Shtendal 100 km west of Berlin in Germany, which was built on the same Soviet project from 1982 to 1990. By the time of the construction stopping, the readiness of the first power unit of the NPP, Shaddal was 85%. Its only significant difference from the Crimean NPP is the use of cooling cooling, not a reservoir. By 2010, NPPs Shleddal was almost completely disassembled. On the territory of the former NPP, a pulp and paper mill was opened, the cooling towers was dismantled in 1994 and 1999. With the help of excavators and severe construction equipment, the analysis of reactor workshops is completed.
  • The NPP was filmed in a variety of films, of which the "Inhabited Island" of F. Bondarchuk ( photo Station in Film Frame (Neopr.) (inaccessible link). Archived on September 29, 2015.).

Information about power units

Energoblock Type of reactors Power Start
construction		 Connecting to the network Commissioning Closing
Clean Gross
Crimea-1. VVER-1000/320 950 MW. 1000 MW 01.12.1982
Crimea-2. VVER-1000/320 950 MW. 1000 MW 1983 Construction Staged 01/01/1989
Crimea-3. VVER-1000/320 950 MW. 1000 MW Construction did not begin
Crimea-4. VVER-1000/320 950 MW. 1000 MW Construction did not begin

see also

Notes

  1. This geographical object is located on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula, most of which is the object

On the coast of the Azov Sea to the Crimea, 75 kilometers west of Kerch, there is a pretty popular resort town of Schelkino. Vacationers appreciate him for a good ecology, spacious beaches and ideal conditions for recreation with children. Schlikino is located one of the main centers in Crimea to occupy surfing and flights on the paraglider. Next to the village is the legendary Cape Kazantip. This is perhaps everything that is known to this little town in the north-east of the Crimean Peninsula.

However, there is another interesting object in a shortcino, which, usually passes by the attention of most ordinary tourists. We are talking about the unfinished and abandoned Crimean nuclear power plant - one of the most curious and shrouded mysters of places on the peninsula.

Not all the holidaymakers who come to Schelkino know that this priazovsky resort is obliged to be the appearance of the Crimean NPP. Initially, Schelkino was built as the NPP satellite city and its main population was planned to draw up from the staff of the station. The name also was selected taking into account its main purpose - the city was named after the famous physicist Kirill Schelkina.

However, fate ordered otherwise and today's shortcino is a small town whose residents live, mainly on the revenues from the resort business. But first things first…

In our current article, we will tell about the history of the construction of the Crimean NPP in Schelkino, as well as talk about the prospects for the resumption of atomic electric power industry on the peninsula.

The idea to build NPP in the Crimea was originated in the political and scientific circles of the Soviet Union in the postwar years. One of the reasons was the notorious resource producer of the Crimean Peninsula. The appearance of a nuclear power plant in the Crimea would close the problem of the energy supply of the region once and for all.

The development of the project of the Crimean NPP began at the end of the 60s, and in 1975 the construction of a station and a satellite city started directly.

The construction of the Crimean NPP was carried out in the traditional style for the USSR "All-Union Construction". From all over the country, many engineers, nuclear physicists and builders came along the Azov coast of Crimea. The station in Schelkino was built according to a typical, already running project. The same NPP was previously built in Khmelnitsky, Volgodonsk and in the Czech Republic.

It was originally planned that two power units with a power of 1 GW each will be built in NPP in NPC, though the maximum need of the Crimea in electricity is about 1200 MW. However, in the process of construction, the project was expanded to four power units with a capacity of 1 GW each. You ask why so much, because we have already mentioned, the Crimea would have enough even one power unit for 1 GW. However, plans of the builders of nuclear power plants were not limited to the power supply of the peninsula. So, with the help of the second power unit, it was planned to provide hot water aeodosia and kerch. The third power unit was supposed to work on the desalination of seawater on an industrial scale, in order to save the Crimea from the shortage of fresh water. Finally, the fourth power unit was supposed to work "for export", delivering electricity to the Krasnodar Territory and the Caucasus.

Before proceeding with the construction of the station, a satellite city was built in close proximity to it. The main construction of the city was completed in 1978. From the same time, the city began to actively settle. The main bones of its inhabitants amounted to visitors, at the same time, the most real intellectual elite of the country went to the permanent adhesion.

The construction of the NPP itself began in 1982 - in the period relative to the prosperous times of Brezhnevsky stagnation.

For the needs of the grand construction site from the Kerch branch to the side, the railroad line was stretched, along which echelons loaded by building materials soon went. By 1987, the main works were fulfilled and for 1989, the reactor launch was already scheduled at the first power unit.

However, the political and economic crisis began in the country's plans in the country, which led to the fall of the Soviet Empire. However, not the collapse of the USSR became the main reason for stopping construction. A key role in the closure of the Schelkino NPP project was played by an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

At the very moment when the construction of the Crimean NPP has already entered the finish stage, Chernobyl hit. The terrible tragedy, which walked in the Kiev region, was very much frightened by the world community. Nuclear power and all that was connected with it, overnight turned into an object of close attention. In this wave, an active campaign against the further construction of a nuclear power plant in Schelkino began in Crimea. One of the arguments of activists of this campaign was the fact that the Crimea is a seismic zone and in the event of an earthquake, a nuclear monster enclosed in reactors, can exit from under control.

However, many experts believe that the hysteria bloated around this topic did not have serious grounds under them, since the Crimean and Chernobyl NPPs were fundamentally different, both by the type of reactors used and according to the system of protection against abnormal situations. Many nuclear engineers claimed and continue to assert that the reactors of the Crimean NPP in terms of design were extremely reliable and safe to use.

However, single voices in protecting the station, they have sacred in the overall choir of opponents of the construction of the Crimean NPP. Under public pressure and circumstances, in 1987, all work on the construction of the station were stopped, despite the fact that by that time the first power unit of the NPP was already ready for almost 80%. At the time of the construction of construction, in warehouses in the area, it was still still kept building materials for 250 million Soviet rubles. Grand at that time amount!

Mostly solve the construction of the construction of the city of Schelkino was disappointed. After all, the refusal to further build the station for many of them meant the collapse of plans and hopes associated with further work. When it became obvious that the project of the Crimean NPP was finally buried, many collected things and left Schelkino, where in addition to the failed nuclear power plant, there was no production.

However, despite the decision of the population of the population to leave the shortcino, a significant part of the inhabitants remained. The city saved ... the sea. Rather, the fact that Schelkino is located in a fairly good place of the Azov coast. If it were not for this factor, Schelkino, with a high probability would be turned into a ghost city.

However, despite its "resort status", Schelkino, by and large, is a depressive city with very foggy prospects. The population of the city decreased from 25 thousand to 11 and continues to decrease.

After the construction stopped, the failed nuclear power plant began to gradually decline and rare. The number of material resources embedded in the Crimean NPP turned out to be so huge that the most valuable components were sold and melted until recently. All the most "tasty" was sold for a lot of money, and locals and visitors gastrors pulled the station on trifles. I did not escape the sad fate and the reactor, which was saw on scrap metal in 2005.

The territory itself of the failed nuclear power plant chose active youth. So, in the 90s, discos of the famous Raiv Festival Kazantip took place in the turbine station of the station. And from the high arrows of the Danish crane "Kroll", which was purchased for mounting a nuclear reactor, regularly jumped besjumpers.

The unfinished Crimean NPP managed to visit the role of the cinematic platform. There were episodes of several films, the most famous of which became the painting of Fyodor Bondarchuk "Inhabited Island".

Today, the territory of NPP and its inner space are quite suitable for filming movies based on the plot of the famous computer game "Half Life".

By the way, the territory of the unfinished NPP is open to the visit, and therefore, if you are an amateur of non-traditional tourist routes, then you will be very interested here. But be careful and extremely attentive - the unfinished technogenic object is in itself a lot of dangers.

By the way, contrary to numerous rumors, the Crimean NPP is not radiation danger, since nuclear fuel was not covered here.

As for the prospects for the resumption of the construction of the Crimean NPP in Schelkino, they still remain very foggy. Relatively recently, Rosatom identified his interest in this topic and even conducted consultations. However, to date, no decisions regarding the revival of the construction project of the Crimean NPP are not accepted and in all likelihood, it will not be accepted, due to economic feasibility. According to experts, it is easier and cheaper to build a new station, rather than try to restore the destroyed and plundered nuclear power plants in Schelkino.

Curious fact: the Crimean NPP has a twin station. This is an unfinished NPP of Shtendal, located west of Berlin in Germany. From 1982 to 1990, it was built in the GDR on a similar project. Like NPPs in Schelkino, her German "sister" was also ready for 85%.

On this all, enjoy your holiday in Crimea!

A couple of days ago I posted a report on the visit to the Crimean NPP (some people could not display photos due to problems on the server, but now everything should be fine).

Crimean NPP has never been completed. It began to be built in 1975. However, in the late 80s construction was abandoned. Whether events influenced this events in Chernobyl, the public protests or just problems with financing, it is already no longer importance. Be that as it may, almost the finished station was thrown and never completed. By the way, they abandoned not only her, there were several more. And all the fate is different. Something was completed, something will be completed, and some remained one foundation.

But we have a rather rare opportunity to see how all this could look, since a number of stations like this type was still completed.


In the photo - the power unit of the Rivne NPP, and the power unit of the Crimean NPP.

But it looks like the main control room. If you look closely, it can be seen that the dashboards are practically identical. Of course, in the 80s there were no liquid crystal monitors. Probably in their place stood more cumbersome equipment.

A little theory - how NPP works. If you do not go into details, then everything is trite. A constant division of uranium atoms occurs in the reactor, resulting in a heat that heats the water. This water circulates in a circle (first contour) and beats other water outside the reactor (in the second circuit), and it occurs within steam generators. That, in turn, turns into steam and turns the turbines, which are twisted by the generators, and they produce electricity. After passing the turbines, steam is additionally cooled to turn it again into the water. For cooling, another contour with cold water taken from the reservoir is used. That is why most NPP build about large reservoirs. The general principle is similar to the usual CHP, the main difference is only that instead of "wood" uses a nuclear reaction.

Of course, as everywhere, on the fingers, it's easy, and in practice everything is insanely difficult, but I think who will want - he climbs into these fades :)

And here is the scheme, already in relation to the type of reactor about which is discussed (VVER-1000). In the center - the reactor itself. Four large cylinders are steam generators. Conical devices (one of them I broke in red) These are the pumps that drive water on the first contour.

And now, to present the scale of the whole structure - a photo of one of these pumps in comparison with man.

This photo shows a layout of a station of this type:

The cylindrical Hermon, a yellow polar crane, the pumps of the first circuit and steam generators are excellent. On the floor above the reactor you can see the little man. To the right of the billboard - a machine room with turbines.

And this is a real steam generator:

In the Crimean NPP, they did not have time to put, as well as the reactor. They were brought and put on the grass. So they lay there until 2005, when two people came with autogen and turned the reactor into scrap metal in a few days.

But when construction managed to establish a polar crane. Here he is a huge Mahina under the grams of grams, from which cables are driving. This crane could rotate by moving along the guides along the Herm Simon station. I'm afraid to imagine what a crash was standing. With this crane, it was planned to install equipment, and in the future, to maintain a reactor.

Also, during construction, a unique tower crane was used, one of the largest in the world, with a loading capacity of 240 tons. I stood until the mid-2000s, after which it was sold on scrap metal. In the photo it is the highest crane. By the way, pay attention to the machine block attached to the reactor unit built in structures, but it is currently completely destroyed.

It should be noted that this is not the only nuclear power plant abandoned at the construction phase.

So, for example, it looks unfinished for understandable reasons for the power unit (5 and 6 if I'm not mistaken) Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

In addition, it should be noted that cases of stopping construction were not only in the USSR. For example, on March 28, 1979, an accident occurred at a three-Mile Island nuclear power plant, as a result, the construction of the Forked River station was initially suspended, and subsequently terminated.

The unfinished reactor unit of the NPP of the pledgel, the GDR, the same type as the Crimean NPP, is now completely dismantled.

Personally, I would not like to give high-profile assessments to such situations. I think it can already be considered a story. So it was and nothing to do. Who knows, maybe it is for the better, maybe to the worst. If we talk about the current position of things - then of course it is madly sorry to see how the Crimean NPP is destroyed. But apparently selling metal is more profitable than, for example, to organize a museum.

Lastly I will give a photo of the Zaporizhia NPP. At this NPP built as many as 6 power units, identical Crimean NPPs. It is difficult to imagine the scale of all this enterprise, while the scale of even one block is shook.

I did not have a goal to tell everything - you will find this information yourself if you are interested. I only brought a small part of the information. The photos of the Crimean (except historical) and the Chernobyl NPP are mine, the rest are taken from various sources. Below I will give references to them, and on related information, as well as information to reflection. Most links are Wikipedia.

UPD: I decided to collect information about the real state of unfinished NPP.
This question was interested immediately after visiting the Crimean NPP, a few years ago. But then it was difficult to find information on the real state of some nuclear power plants. Now it turned out much easier.

Bashkir NPP
A certain infrastructure was built, but the construction of the reactor unit (except for the foundation) did not begin. Photography with canned boiler room. The right foundation of the reactor unit can be seen on the right.

Kostroma NPP / Central NPP
The situation is similar to the previous one, or even worse. In fact, it is some concrete ruins in the forest.

Crimean nuclear power plant
See above.

Odessa Atez
Some infrastructure has been built, the construction of the reactor unit apparently did not begin.

Tatar nuclear power plant
Part of the infrastructure was erected, the construction of the reactor unit began, but it was not much to build a lot, apparently did not reach everything even before the construction of Hermons.

Voronezh AST.
Probably the most complete project after the Crimean NPP. There are plans for the completion of the object. Currently securely protected, funds are allocated for conservation.

Gorky AST.
Also, largely built block. It is located on a protected area, but the internal state and seriousness of protection is unknown. There are vague plans for re-equipment under the CHP

NPP Belene (Bulgaria)
Construction was frozen, then resumed. Currently, the status is not known, probably frozen again. However, in any case, the readiness of the structures is low.

NPP Zhardanian (Poland)
Construction is frozen, the readiness of the facilities is low.

Huracua NPP (Cuba)
One of the blocks was built almost completely, the second only started. These are blocks of several other types than the Crimean NPP (and most other unfinished NPPs). VVER-440 reactor is lower power. Judging by the pictures from Cosmos - the station is very great interest, in addition, it is most likely not particularly protected (although the hell knows what they have and how). However, unfortunately, due to its remoteness, all this carries more theoretical character. I will probably look for more information about this station.

NPP Styddal (Eastern Germany)
The reactor unit is largely built, but at the end of 2000) completely dismantled.

(to the 25th anniversary of the closure of the Crimean NPP)

I remember one longday business trip to the Nikolaev area. Beautiful bougie thresholds, happy and carefree faces of local residents. For a minute suddenly it seemed that time was stopped here. It would be the calendar of the middle of the zero on the calendar, and the beginning of the 80s. Clean streets, well-groomed houses, park and city beach on the river. Friendly and smiling people, young mothers walk with wheelchairs and flower flower beds everywhere. So I saw South-Ukrainian. 80% of the local population work at one state-owned nuclear power plant, which during the year generates 17-18 billion kWh of electrical energy and is 96% covers the needs of the electricity of three southern regions of the country (Nikolaev, Kherson, Odessa)

A large industrial enterprise provides work, stable and relatively high wages with a full social package not only in the city of satellite, but also nearby settlements. Two months later, fate took me to Schelkino, the city of the satellite of the former Crimean NPP. However, there the picture was completely opposite. Killed streets, doped facades of houses, lack of evening lighting and fully broken local house of culture "Arabat". Flowers with flowers and operating fountains did not meet me in two days of staying in this slowly dying city. But often there were drunk men and grumpy women. In their eyes - complete hopelessness, despondency and anxiety for tomorrow. Schalkino lives only two months a year - during the summer season. Almost every second-third resident of the city believes to buy a garage for happiness. And it does not matter that he has no car. After all, in the summer you can live in the garage, and in your apartment we will put the resort workers. Not only those who have passed the accommodation for the season are considered to be local fists, but those who have .... Lodka. After all, it is a real feeder, and in the winter in the winter so many pelengas ... It is thanks to the sea in the hungry 90s, hundreds of families survived here .. in two cities, as it turned out, a different fate. But the history of their foundation began simultaneously with the construction of local nuclear power plants and almost at one time.

The construction of the actual Crimean nuclear power plant began in 1981. However, in three years earlier, at the foot of Cape Kazantip, the working village of the builders of the Crimean NPP was laid, which by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR dated May 11, 1982 was named Schelkino, thereby perpetrating the name of the outstanding Soviet scientist, three times the hero of the Socialist Labor of Kirill Ivanovich Schelkina. In 1979, the first first residential buildings were commissioned. And the Crimean NPP itself later received the status of the republican (Ukrainian) Komsomol construction site, and on the threshold of perestroika - in 1984 it was already the All-Union Shock Construction.

By that time, there were already 25 thousand inhabitants in the city. However, in 1987, at the stage of 80% of the readiness of the first power unit and 18% of the second, the station building was suspended. The main reason is the plot on which was built by geologically unstable. In addition, the fear of the repetition of last year's Chernobyl tragedy has affected. . The project capacity of the Schelkino NPP was 2,000 MW, followed by an increase of up to 4,000 MW (the construction of two additional power units) at the VVER-1000/320 reactors.

The planned launch date was marked 1989. But ironically, it was the summer of this year that was in history as the time of final conservation of construction.
If you understand the more detailed, then the reasons were somewhat. Firstly - the sad experience of Chernobyl. Secondly, a powerful earthquake in Armenia in December 1988.

Then, the Crimean seismologists received an urgent task: to identify what could be the maximum earthquake on the peninsula. Scientists in the report wrote the "top ten", and the project construction project was calculated only on 8 points on the Richter scale. Well, finally - the third reason for the closure of the station is money. The difficulty of financing was already felt seriously in 1987, when large construction sites began to turn around in the whole alliance both in the energy and in industry, transport, urban planning ...

In addition, the public was actively connected. During the elections of the delegates of the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, in the spring of 1989, real battles broke out in the Crimean districts. As a result, in three districts, doctors and ecologists defeated anti-Aerk speeches in their pre-election companies.

When it became clear that there is no money for the end of construction and will not be, there were ideas on the basis of the Crimean NPP training center on the preparation of dispatchers of nuclear power plants of Minomenergo USSR. But these ideas were not destined to come true. Union collapsed ...
500 million Soviet rubles were spent on the construction of NPPs at 1984 prices. In warehouses remained materials approximately by another 250 million. The station began to slowly disappear on black and colored scrap metal. Although in the mid-90s, the Crimean NPP has become even a brand for four years. From 1995 to 1999, a discos of the Festival "Republic of KaZantip" under the slogan - "Nuclear Party in the reactor" was carried out in the turbine station.

And yet, part spent money to the main republican construction tried to return. In September 2003, the property fund sold a unique Danish kroll crane K-10000, set for the installation of a nuclear reactor, for 310 thousand hryvnia at the initial price of 440 thousand hryvnia. Before dismantling, the high-altitude crane was used for besjumping. Extreme jumps were carried out from the bottom (80 m) and the upper (120 m) crane arrows.

After that, the remaining parts of the Crimean NPP were sold: the reactor office, the block pump station, the workshop body, the cooler on the Aktashka reservoir, the dam of the Aktash reservoir, the supply channel with the water reservoir, oil-diesel economy, diesel generator station. It is known that in early 2005, the Representative Office of the property of the Crimea property was realized by the reactor department of the Crimean NPP for 1.1 million UAH ($ 207,000) to a legal entity whose name was not disclosed.
There is evidence that the VVER-1000 reactor, and not installed in the premises prepared for it, was cut into scrap in 2005.

Crimean NPP today (Photo Patterans)

A little-known fact: the station has a practically a full twin - an abandoned unfinished NPP of Shtendal 100 km west of Berlin in Germany, which was built on the same Soviet project from 1982 to 1990. By the time of the construction stop, the readiness of the first power unit was 85%. Its only significant difference from the Crimean NPP is the use of cooling cooling, not a reservoir. Currently, NPP is almost completely disassembled. On the territory of the former station, a cellulose-paper factory is now operating, the cooling towers is dismantled in 1994 and 1999. With the help of excavators and severe construction equipment, the analysis of reactor workshops is completed. That is how practical and neat Germans approached the problem of unnecessary long-term.

And what in short? Empty boxes of abandoned houses, dilapidated industrial premises, rusting erections of metal structures. NPP itself a few years ago was sold on scrap metal, and now one of the Ukrainian construction companies exports the remaining glands from it. Externally, the station looks even more collapsed. By replacing each other, the equipment hunters come to her, for non-ferrous metal, for various building materials ... Photographers, both local and visiting, both professionals and amateurs regularly visited. At the weekend, there are entire groups of lovers of Paint and Straik-Bolla. The destroyed building of the power unit is a great platform for the "Stalker Scenario". A few years ago, the film "Initious Island" worked here. Surprisingly, it was here that, in the ruins of the station Fyodor Bondarchuk saw a picture of the planet Saraksh.

And here frequent guests are lovers of extreme tourism, also dreamed of wander around the zone. Yes, and an excursion in the Crimean NPP, unlike Chernobyl, almost safe. After all, nuclear fuel on the peninsula will not have time and did not have time ...
Local station Theme time has managed to get to the Guinness Book of Records, as the most expensive power unit in the world. Billions of rubles were thrown into the wind: neither money nor so necessary in connection with the exacerbated recently in the Crimea with the energy crisis of electricity. Frozen semi-breakdown station, as a symbol of mismanitality and short-sightedness of ten years will stand on the land of Kazantip.