RBMK-1000
The RBMK-1000 is a Generation II light water graphite reactor. 7 units are operating and 0 are under construction, out of 13 on record.
Operating
7
7.0 GW gross
Under construction
0
Planned
0
Cancelled
2
4 retired
The Soviet graphite-moderated, water-cooled pressure tube reactor. Its positive void coefficient at low power, combined with a control rod design that briefly added reactivity on insertion, produced the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Surviving units were retrofitted with higher fuel enrichment and faster shutdown systems. None has been built since; the remaining units are in Russia and are being retired.
Design
| Vendor | built by consortium, no single vendor |
|---|---|
| Reactor type | Light water graphite reactor (LWGR) |
| Generation | II |
| Capacity range | 1000 MWe gross |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Typical enrichment | 2–2.6% U-235 |
Where it is built
| Russia | 13 units, 7 operating |
|---|
All RBMK-1000 units
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kursk nuclear power plant 1-3 | Russia | 1,000 | 1984 | |
| Kursk nuclear power plant 1-4 | Russia | 1,000 | 1986 | |
| Leningrad nuclear power plant 1-3 | Russia | 1,000 | 1980 | |
| Leningrad nuclear power plant 1-4 | Russia | 1,000 | 1981 | |
| Smolensk nuclear power plant 1-1 | Russia | 1,000 | 1983 | |
| Smolensk nuclear power plant 1-2 | Russia | 1,000 | 1985 | |
| Smolensk nuclear power plant 1-3 | Russia | 1,000 | 1990 | |
| Kursk nuclear power plant 1-1 | Russia | Retired | 1,000 | 1977 |
| Kursk nuclear power plant 1-2 | Russia | Retired | 1,000 | 1979 |
| Kursk nuclear power plant 1-5 | Russia | Cancelled | 1,100 | — |
| Leningrad nuclear power plant 1-1 | Russia | Retired | 1,000 | 1974 |
| Leningrad nuclear power plant 1-2 | Russia | Retired | 1,000 | 1976 |
| Smolensk nuclear power plant 1-4 | Russia | Cancelled | 1,000 | — |
Sources
- RBMK-1000 — vendor documentation
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06