History of the creation of nuclear power plants. Nuclear power plant Start-up of a nuclear power plant

Obninsk NPP.

Sixty years ago, in the city of Obninsk, Kaluga Region, the world's first nuclear power plant with the AM-1 reactor (Atom Peaceful) produced industrial current. The AM-1 reactor was a channel-type thermal neutron reactor with tubular fuel rods, cooled by water under pressure. The thermal power of the reactor was approximately 30 MW. The electrical power of the first nuclear power plant in different years was from 3 to 5 MW, the efficiency reached 17%. The fuel load is approximately 560 kg of uranium, enriched in uranium-235 to 10 or 5%.

“The construction of the first industrial nuclear power plant in the USSR with a capacity of 5000 kW was completed in 1954, and on June 27, 1954, the station was already generating electric current using the fission energy of uranium nuclei,” says the report presented by D.I. Blokhintsev and N. A. Nikolaev at the UN International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva on August 8-20, 1955.

Reactor diagram of the First Nuclear Power Plant. Photo: aes1.ru

The operation of the Obninsk NPP reactor was stopped on April 29, 2002 due to unprofitability. “The station was shut down solely for economic reasons, since maintaining it in a safe condition became more and more expensive every year,” reports the website of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation - IPPE, which is currently in charge of the first nuclear power plant. Currently, the nuclear power plant is an industrial memorial complex.

“Now the fuel has been unloaded, most of the radioactive equipment has been removed, but the reactor graphite remains. It is not yet clear what is better: removing the reactor graphite or leaving it in place,” said Mikhail Zhaidin, scientific director of the Industry Memorial Complex “The World’s First Nuclear Power Plant” in a telephone interview with Bellona.Ru, “The issue of decommissioning work still remains in the shadows, this is not a question for the nuclear power plant museum. There are different ideas - for example, to preserve the first nuclear power plant as a museum. But this should be decided by the Government. After all, there are no regulatory documents allowing radiation-hazardous objects to function as museums. Now the nuclear power plant is on the balance sheet of the IPPE. The question is who will continue to maintain the nuclear power plant museum, who will pay for it.”

The race for the “peaceful atom”

The topic of the “peaceful atom” in the mid-1950s became one of the hottest issues in the confrontation between the USSR and the USA. In 1953, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a speech “Atoms for Peace” at the UN General Assembly, in which he proclaimed the beginning of the peaceful use of atomic energy in the United States. In many ways, the Atoms for Peace program was of a propaganda nature; one of its goals was to justify growing military spending. The Soviet “Peaceful Atom” was embodied in the Obninsk nuclear power plant, which began to be used to promote the peaceful course and technical achievements of socialism.

Photo: aes1.ru

“Atom peaceful” in a series of military reactors

In 1954, the USSR had quite a few nuclear reactors in operation. Five uranium-graphite reactors operated at the Mayak plant in the Chelyabinsk region: A (since 1948), AI (since 1951), AV-1 (since 1950), AV-2 (since 1951), AB-3 (since 1952). In terms of layout and basic engineering solutions, these reactors were close to the Obninsk AM-1: graphite stack, technological channels, vertical core. The thermal power of these reactors reached hundreds of MW and exceeded the power of Atom Mirny. The uranium-graphite reactors I-1 and EI-2 were being prepared for launch at the Siberian Chemical Plant near Tomsk (launched in 1955 and 56). Thus, in the early 1950s, a military nuclear reactor was commissioned every year in the USSR. In 1954, Atom Mirny appeared among them.

Nuclear power plant or experimental reactor?

The debate continues over what the Obninsk plant really is - the world's first commercial nuclear power plant, or an experimental facility that only demonstrates the possibility of generating electricity using the fission energy of uranium nuclei?

A number of foreign researchers consider the American Shippingport nuclear power plant, commissioned in Pennsylvania in May 1958 and decommissioned in 1989, to be the first commercial power plant. The pressurized water reactor (predecessor of Russian VVERs) at the Shippingport NPP had a thermal power of about 200 MW, the nuclear power plant produced an electrical power of 60 MW, and over 25 years of operation, 7.4 billion kWh of electricity was generated.

The indicators of the Obninsk NPP are much more modest. On the website of the museum of the first nuclear power plant there is no information about how much electrical and thermal energy it generated during its entire operation.

Mikhail Zhaidin said that it is not known exactly how many years the Obninsk station operated in electricity generation mode. “There is even a joke: “Either the nuclear power plant gives energy, or the nuclear power plant takes energy,” he says: “Data on the production of electrical and thermal energy is not relevant. It was a research station. It worked in different modes, at different powers. The station was significant as a scientific, experimental, educational center.”

Indeed, from the moment work began at the Obninsk NPP, a number of experimental installations and stands were put into operation, at which various reactor technologies were tested. The crews of the first Soviet nuclear submarines underwent training at the Obninsk NPP.

However, in the documents of Rosatom, Rostekhnadzor and the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation - IPPE, the rector of the nuclear power plant is called “IRAM”, which means “ AM research reactor» .

Photo: aes1.ru

Economy

Like any experimental installation, the Obninsk station could not become cost-effective. Even with the very unique pricing in the USSR, it was not possible to make the nuclear power of the first nuclear power plant competitive. “The cost of 1 kWh of electrical energy generated at the station significantly exceeds the average cost of 1 kWh of powerful thermal power plants in the USSR,” admits the report at the UN International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955: “Analysis of the cost of 1 kW *h of energy generated at the first nuclear power plant shows that its high cost is primarily due to the small size of the station, high costs for individual production of fuel elements, increased consumption of uranium-235 due to the small size of the nuclear reactor, as well as a number of design features at this stations aimed at creating increased operational reliability, which, as operating experience shows, can be abandoned.”

Of course, in the 1955 document, the reference to “operating experience,” which by that time amounted to about a year, seems very strange. At that time, the nuclear energy industry still had events ahead that would negate nuclear optimism, such as the accidents at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Then it seemed that the cost of nuclear electricity could be reduced by increasing the power of nuclear power plants and reducing the cost of building nuclear power plants, primarily by simplifying the design of reactors and safety systems.

Photo: aes1.ru

And if the first was possible, for example, the direct development of the AM-1 reactor became uranium-graphite channel reactors RBMK-1000 with a thermal power of 3 GW, then the second task was not completed. After a series of radiation accidents and catastrophes, the requirements for the safety systems of modern nuclear power plants increase, and the cost of their construction also increases. And even now, like 60 years ago, the total cost of nuclear electricity significantly exceeds the cost of electricity from natural gas stations. This thesis has been proven in: “electricity from nuclear power plants is already more expensive for the consumer than what is produced by gas stations. ... The state provides the industry with practically free capital, bears nuclear risks not covered by insurance premiums, and is largely involved in the direct financing of the nuclear fuel cycle.”

Now the future of nuclear energy no longer seems as cloudless as it seemed in 1954. But in any case, the Obninsk nuclear power plant remains a monument to that era, the era of the arms race, the Cold War and ardent optimism towards nuclear energy.

A bygone era...

Photo: aes1.ru

In the second half of the 40s, even before the completion of work on the creation of the first Soviet atomic bomb (its test took place on August 29, 1949), Soviet scientists began developing the first projects for the peaceful use of atomic energy, the general direction of which immediately became electric power.

In 1948, at the suggestion of I.V. Kurchatov and in accordance with the instructions of the party and government, the first work began on the practical use of atomic energy to generate electricity.

In May 1950, near the village of Obninskoye, Kaluga Region, work began on the construction of the world's first nuclear power plant.

The world's first industrial nuclear power plant with a capacity of 5 MW was launched on June 27, 1954 in the USSR, in the city of Obninsk, located in the Kaluga region. In 1958, the 1st stage of the Siberian Nuclear Power Plant with a capacity of 100 MW was put into operation, subsequently the full design capacity was increased to 600 MW. In the same year, the construction of the Beloyarsk industrial nuclear power plant began, and on April 26, 1964, the 1st stage generator supplied current to consumers. In September 1964, the 1st unit of the Novovoronezh NPP with a capacity of 210 MW was launched. The second unit with a capacity of 365 MW was launched in December 1969. In 1973, the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant was launched.

Outside the USSR, the first industrial nuclear power plant with a capacity of 46 MW was put into operation in 1956 at Calder Hall (Great Britain). A year later, the nuclear power plant came into operation (English) Russian. with a capacity of 60 MW in Shippingport (USA).

In 1979, there was a serious accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, and in 1986, a large-scale disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which, in addition to the immediate consequences, seriously affected the entire nuclear energy industry as a whole. It forced specialists around the world to reassess the problem of nuclear power plant safety and think about the need for international cooperation in order to improve nuclear power plant safety.

On May 15, 1989, at the founding assembly in Moscow, the official formation of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), an international professional association uniting organizations operating nuclear power plants around the world, was announced. The Association has set itself ambitious goals to improve nuclear safety around the world by implementing its international programs.

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant near the town of Energodar (Zaporozhye region, Ukraine), the construction of which began in 1980. Since 1996, 6 power units with a total capacity of 6 GW have been operating.

The largest nuclear power plant in the world, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa in terms of installed capacity (as of 2008), is located in the Japanese city of Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture - there are five boiling water reactors (BWR) and two improved boiling water reactors (ABWR) in operation, with a total capacity of 8.212 GW.

Obninsk NPP

People who are interested in Chernobyl and Pripyat end up asking the question “When was the first nuclear power plant in the world created and where?”

The world's first nuclear power plant was built in Obninsk (Kaluga region).

Background

On September 28, 1942, the USSR State Defense Committee approved the creation of a special nuclear laboratory at the Academy of Sciences, and also decided to allow the production of uranium. Since 2005, this date has been celebrated as Nuclear Science Day.

Russia's nuclear industry dates back to the 1940s, when it was of strategic importance, largely because its rivals were trying to develop nuclear weapons.

After the end of the Second World War, the state intensified research and financed the initiative to create similar weapons in the USSR.

On August 20, 1945, a special committee began research on the uranium project. Lavrentiy Beria became the head of the Committee.

This event was a turning point. The following year, an extensive program was launched.

The project was overseen by Igor Kurchatov, also known as the father of the atomic bomb and a pioneer of nuclear energy for civilian use.

The new program allowed the use of nuclear energy in various sectors of the economy, such as transport and energy.

It was the dawn of a new Russian nuclear era. In subsequent decades, it had highs and lows, including .

Russian nuclear scientists worked on large-scale projects, producing technological advances and making the nuclear sector one of the most successful parts of the economy.

Commissioning

The Obninsk nuclear power plant was commissioned by the Soviet Union on June 27, 1954, and operated successfully for almost five decades until it was closed on April 29, 2002.

Located just over a hundred kilometers southwest of Moscow, Obninsk was the home of the Institute of Physics and Energy, so it is not surprising that the USSR chose this place for the construction of the first.

However, the fact that Obninsk became the world's first nuclear power plant, in fact, it was intended as a training ground for the crews of future nuclear submarines.

However, although the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant produced electricity, it also facilitated research and testing.

Power of the first nuclear power plant

The world's first nuclear power plant had only one AM-1 reactor with a power of 5 MW.

Although the first nuclear power plant was built as an experiment to use electricity for commercial purposes, could a nuclear reactor be used to supply power to a commercial grid? Obninsk proved that this is possible.

The reactor of the first nuclear power plant in the USSR was a uranium-graphite channel-type design, a Soviet model that later became the “father” of the powerful RBMK reactors.

Obninsk's success paved the way for the construction of many other nuclear power plants, such as in Russia and Sellafield in England.

Progress

The first in the USSR operated without a hitch for 48 years - an incredible success when you consider the frequency of incidents at many modern nuclear power plants around the world.

Undoubtedly, the relatively small size of the reactor contributed to this safety.

However, it is also important to note the mindset in which the Obninsk nuclear power plant was built. Since its conception, Obninsk was referred to by the Soviets as Peaceful Atom.

Conclusion

Founded more than six decades ago, the world's first nuclear power plant was an incredible breakthrough that showed that the world had a place for peaceful nuclear energy in the future.

From its inception, the world's first nuclear power plant was intended to transform the previously terrible and traumatic nature of nuclear energy into a positive resource for human growth and prosperity.

Not only was this “quest” successful, and the nuclear power plant in Obninsk was in operation from 1954 to 2002. without a single accident or spill, it became a model of stability that many of today's nuclear scientists could emulate.

It was once the first in the world, but now it operates as a museum complex.

The world's first nuclear power plant

After testing the first atomic bomb, Kurchatov and Dollezhal discussed the possibility of creating a nuclear power plant, focusing on the experience of designing and operating industrial reactors. On May 16, 1949, a corresponding government decree was issued. Despite the apparent simplicity of the transition from one nuclear reactor to another, the matter turned out to be extremely complex. Industrial reactors operated at low water pressure in the working channels; the water cooled the uranium blocks and that was enough.

The design of the nuclear power plant was significantly complicated by the fact that it was necessary to maintain high pressure in the working channels in order to obtain the steam required for the operation of the turbine. More structural materials had to be introduced into the reactor core, which required enriching uranium with the 235 isotope. In order not to contaminate the turbine compartment of the nuclear power plant with radioactivity, a double-circuit circuit was used, further complicating the power plant.

The first radioactive circuit included the reactor process channels, water circulation pumps, the tubular part of the steam generators and the connecting pipelines of the primary circuit. A steam generator is a vessel designed for significant water and steam pressure. At the bottom of the vessel there are bundles of thin tubes through which primary circuit water is pumped with a pressure of about 100 atmospheres and a temperature of 300 degrees. Between the tube bundles there is water in the secondary circuit, which, receiving heat from the tube bundles, heats up and boils. The resulting steam at a pressure of more than 12 atmospheres is sent to the turbine. Thus, the water of the primary circuit does not mix in the steam generator with the medium of the secondary circuit and it remains “clean.” The steam exhausted in the turbine is cooled in the turbine condenser and turns into water, which is pumped again into the steam generator. This maintains coolant circulation in the second circuit.

Conventional uranium blocks were not suitable for nuclear power plants. It was necessary to construct special technological channels consisting of a system of thin-walled tubes of small diameter, on the outer surfaces of which nuclear fuel was placed. Technological channels several meters long were loaded into the cells of the graphite masonry of the reactor by an overhead crane in the reactor hall and connected to the primary circuit pipelines with removable parts. There were many other differences that complicated the relatively small nuclear power plant.

When the main characteristics of the nuclear power plant project were determined, it was reported to Stalin. He highly appreciated the emergence of domestic nuclear energy; scientists received not only approval, but also assistance in implementing the new direction.

In February 1950, in the First Main Directorate, headed by B.L. Vannikov and A.P. Zavenyagin, the proposals of scientists were discussed in detail, and on July 29 of the same year, Stalin signed the Resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers on the development and construction of a nuclear power plant with a reactor in the city of Obninsk, received the code name "AM." The reactor was designed by N.A. Dollezhal with his team. At the same time, the design of station equipment was carried out by other organizations, as well as the nuclear power plant building.

Kurchatov appointed D.I. Blokhintsev as his deputy for scientific management of the Obninsk NPP; by order of the PGU, Blokhintsev was entrusted with not only scientific but also organizational management of the construction and commissioning of the nuclear power plant. N. A. Nikolaev was appointed the first director of the nuclear power plant.

In 1952, scientific and design work was carried out on the AM reactor and the nuclear power plant as a whole. At the beginning of the year, work began on the underground part of the nuclear power plant, construction of housing and social amenities, access roads, and a dam on the Protva River. In 1953, the bulk of construction and installation work was completed: the reactor building and turbine generator building were erected, reactor metal structures, steam generators, pipelines, turbines and much more were installed. In 1953, the construction site was given the status of the most important in the Ministry of Medium Machine Building (in 1953, the PSU was transformed into the Ministry of Medium Machine Building). Kurchatov often came to construction; a small wooden house was built for him in the neighboring forest, where he held meetings with the managers of the site.

At the beginning of 1954, graphite laying of the reactor was carried out. The tightness of the reactor vessel was tested in advance using a sensitive helium method. Helium gas was supplied inside the body under low pressure, and from the outside all welded joints were “felt” with a helium leak detector, which detects small helium leaks. During helium tests, unsuccessful design solutions were identified and some things had to be redone. After repairing the welded joints and re-checking for leaks, I thoroughly cleaned the internal surfaces of the metal structures and placed them under masonry.

Graphite masonry work is eagerly awaited by both workers and managers. This is a kind of milestone on the long path of reactor installation. Masonry belongs to the category of clean work and indeed requires sterile cleanliness. Even dust entering the reactor will deteriorate its quality. Row by row, working graphite blocks are laid, checking the gaps between them and other dimensions. The workers are now unrecognizable, they are all in white overalls and safety shoes, and white caps so that a hair doesn’t fall out. In the reactor room there is the same sterile cleanliness, nothing superfluous, wet cleaning is almost continuous. The masonry is carried out quickly, around the clock, and after finishing the work, it is handed over to picky inspectors. Finally, the hatches to the reactor are closed and welded. Then they begin to install process channels and reactor control and protection channels (control and safety control channels). At the first nuclear power plant they caused a lot of trouble. The fact is that the channel tubes had very thin walls and operated at high pressure and temperature. The industry for the first time mastered the production and welding of such thin-walled pipes, which caused water leaks through welding leaks. The current channels had to be changed, as well as their manufacturing technology, all this took time. There were other difficulties, but all obstacles were overcome. Start-up work has begun.

On May 9, 1954, the reactor reached criticality; until June 26, adjustment work was carried out on numerous nuclear power plant systems at different power levels. On June 26, in the presence of I.V. Kurchatov, steam was supplied to the turbine and the power was further increased. On June 27, the official launch of the world's first Obninsk nuclear power plant took place, supplying electricity to the Mosenergo system.

The nuclear plant had a power output of 5,000 kilowatts. 128 process channels and 23 control rod control channels were installed in the reactor. One load was enough to operate the nuclear power plant at full power for 80-100 days. The Obninsk nuclear power plant has attracted the attention of people all over the world. It was attended by numerous delegations from almost all countries. They wanted to see the Russian miracle with their own eyes. There is no need for coal, oil or flammable gas, here the heat from the reactor, hidden behind reliable protection made of concrete and cast iron, drives a turbogenerator and generates electricity, which at that time was sufficient for the needs of a city with a population of 30–40 thousand people, with nuclear fuel consumption is about 2 tons per year.

Years will pass and hundreds of nuclear power plants of enormous power will appear on earth in different countries, but all of them, like the Volga from a spring, originate on Russian soil not far from Moscow, in the world-famous city of Obninsk, where for the first time an awakened atom pushed the turbine blades and gave an electric current under the glorious Russian motto: “Let the atom be a worker, not a soldier!”

In 1959, Georgy Nikolaevich Ushakov, who replaced Nikolaev as director of the Obninsk NPP, published a book - “The First Nuclear Power Plant.” A whole generation of nuclear scientists studied from this book.

Even during its construction and commissioning, the Obninsk NPP turned into an excellent school for training construction and installation personnel, scientists and operating personnel. The nuclear power plant performed this role for many decades during industrial operation and numerous experimental work on it. The Obninsk school was attended by such well-known specialists in nuclear energy as: G. Shasharin, A. Grigoryants, Yu. Evdokimov, M. Kolmanovsky, B. Semenov, V. Konochkin, P. Palibin, A. Krasin and many others.

At the same time as the icebreaker, a nuclear submarine (NPS) was being built. The government decision on its construction was signed in 1952, and in August 1957 the boat was launched. This first Soviet nuclear submarine was named “Leninsky Komsomol”. She made an under-ice trek to the North Pole and returned safely to base.

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June 7, 1954 in the village of Obninskoye, Kaluga Region, at the Physics and Energy Institute named after A.I. Leypunsky (Laboratory “B”), the world’s first nuclear power plant was launched, equipped with one uranium-graphite channel reactor with water coolant AM-1 (“peaceful atom”) with a capacity of 5 MW. From this date the history of nuclear energy began.

During the Great Patriotic War, work began on the creation of nuclear weapons, led by physicist and academician I.V. Kurchatov. In 1943, Kurchatov created a research center in Moscow - Laboratory No. 2 - later transformed into the Institute of Atomic Energy. In 1948, a plutonium plant with several industrial reactors was built, and in August 1949, the first Soviet atomic bomb was tested. After the production of enriched uranium was organized and mastered on an industrial scale, an active discussion began on the problems and directions of creating power nuclear reactors for transport use and generating electricity and heat. On behalf of Kurchatov, domestic physicists E.L. Feinberg and N.A. Dollezhal began to develop a reactor design for a nuclear power plant.

On May 16, 1950, a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR determined the construction of three experimental reactors - uranium-graphite with water cooling, uranium-graphite with gas cooling and uranium-beryllium with gas or liquid metal cooling. According to the original plan, they were all supposed to work in turn on a single steam turbine and generator with a capacity of 5000 kW. ...

In May 1954, the reactor was launched, and in June of the same year, the Obninsk nuclear power plant produced the first industrial current, opening the way for the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. Obninsk NPP has operated successfully for almost 48 years. April 29, 2002 at 11:31 a.m. Moscow time, the reactor of the world's first nuclear power plant in Obninsk was shut down forever. As the press service of the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation reported, the station was shut down solely for economic reasons, since “maintaining it in a safe condition became more and more expensive every year.” In addition to generating energy, the reactor at the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant also served as a base for experimental research and for the production of isotopes for medical needs.

The operating experience of the first, essentially experimental, nuclear power plant fully confirmed the engineering and technical solutions proposed by nuclear industry specialists, which made it possible to begin the implementation of a large-scale program for the construction of new nuclear power plants in the Soviet Union. Even during its construction and commissioning, the Obninsk NPP turned into an excellent school for training construction and installation personnel, scientists and operating personnel. The nuclear power plant performed this role for many decades during industrial operation and numerous experimental work on it. The Obninsk school was attended by such well-known specialists in nuclear energy as: G. Shasharin, A. Grigoryants, Yu. Evdokimov, M. Kolmanovsky, B. Semenov, V. Konochkin, P. Palibin, A. Krasin and many others.

In 1953, at one of the meetings, the Minister of the Ministry of Medium Machine Building of the USSR V.A. Malyshev raised before Kurchatov, Alexandrov and other scientists the question of developing a nuclear reactor for a powerful icebreaker, which the country needed in order to significantly extend navigation in our northern seas, and then make it year-round. At that time, special attention was paid to the Far North as the most important economic and strategic region. 6 years have passed, and the world's first nuclear-powered icebreaker, Lenin, set out on its maiden voyage. This icebreaker served for 30 years in harsh Arctic conditions. Simultaneously with the icebreaker, a nuclear submarine (NPS) was built. The government decision on its construction was signed in 1952, and in August 1957 the boat was launched. This first Soviet nuclear submarine was named “Leninsky Komsomol”. She made an under-ice trek to the North Pole and returned safely to base.

“The world's energy industry has entered a new era. This happened on June 27, 1954. Humanity is still far from realizing the importance of this new era.”

Academician A.P. Alexandrov

“In the Soviet Union, through the efforts of scientists and engineers, work on the design and construction of the first industrial nuclear power plant with a useful capacity of 5000 kilowatts was successfully completed. On June 27, the nuclear power plant was put into operation and provided electricity for industry and agriculture in the surrounding areas.

London, July 1 (TASS). The announcement of the launch of the first industrial nuclear power plant in the USSR is widely noted in the English press; the Moscow correspondent of the Daily Worker writes that this historical event “has immeasurably greater significance than the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Paris, July 1 (TASS). The London correspondent of Agence France-Presse reports that the announcement of the launch in the USSR of the world's first industrial power plant running on nuclear energy was met with great interest in London circles of nuclear specialists. England, the correspondent continues, is building a nuclear power plant in Calderhall. It is believed that it will be able to enter service no earlier than in 2.5 years...

Shanghai, July 1 (TASS). Responding to the commissioning of a Soviet nuclear power plant, Tokyo radio reports: The United States and England are also planning the construction of nuclear power plants, but they plan to complete their construction in 1956-1957. The fact that the Soviet Union was ahead of England and America in the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes suggests that Soviet scientists have achieved great success in the field of atomic energy. One of the outstanding Japanese specialists in the field of nuclear physics, Professor Yoshio Fujioka, commenting on the announcement of the launch of a nuclear power plant in the USSR, said that this is the beginning of a “new era.”