Kursk is a 4,000 MW nuclear power station in Kursk, Russia. It is operated by JSC "Concern Rosenergoatom". Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 9.0 million homes (estimated). It ranks #13 of 678 Russia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1977, it is around 49 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 18.3% of Russia's electricity; the national grid averages 450 gCO₂/kWh (35.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1003744.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 2,000 MW for Kursk nuclear power plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 4,000 MW, Kursk is well above the median nuclear plant in Russia (2,364 MW). Technically it is described as light water graphite reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Russia nuclear capacity
- 6.6% of 60,908 MW across 28 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 7 of 21 dated nuclear plants in Russia are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in Russia
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by JSC "Concern Rosenergoatom".
Climate zone & how it works
This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #8 largest nuclear power plant of 28 in Russia by capacity.
Russia has 28 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 60,908 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Kursk CHPP-1 power station · Gas · 175 MW · Kursk Oblast
- TPP Quadra · Gas · 116.9 MW · Kursk
- Kursk TPP-4* · Gas · 4.8 MW · Kursk
- GT CHP Michurinskaya · Gas · 36 MW · Belgorod
- Belgorod TPP (thermal power plant) · Gas · 60 MW · Belgorod
- GT-TPP (gas turbine TPP) "Luch" · Gas · 60 MW · Belgorod
Location
Coordinates 51.675, 35.6056 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Kursk?
Kursk is a 4,000 MW nuclear power plant in Kursk, Russia, commissioned in 1977.
Who operates Kursk?
Kursk is operated by JSC "Concern Rosenergoatom".