Kola 4 gets 25-year life extension

It said that the life extension was unprecedented in the history of Russian nuclear power. "It shows that we've done a tremendous amount of work, and have done this work properly," said Kola NPP director Vasily Omelchuk.

Rosenergoatom said that the application involved extensive work to assess the 'resource characteristics' of the equipment, consideration of replacement or modernization, and other activities to improve safety and reliability.

The 440 MWe VVER V-213 reactor began commercial operation in December 1984, a decade after the first two V-230 units, and two years after the V-213-based unit 3.

The station is based south of Murmansk on the shores of Lake Imandra in the extreme northwest of the country.