Smolensk is located 3km from the city of Desnogorsk. Mention "Desnogorsk" in the company of fishermen and you will hear a chorus of approval. The reason? There is a reservoir of 44 square kilometers where the water never freezes. The nuclear plant heats the water throughout the year, which keeps the pond stocked full of fish. Bream, crucian carp, pike, white and bighead carp, black and white cupids, carp, catfish, African telyapiya and even freshwater shrimp inhabit the reservoir.

There are 10 nuclear power plants in Russia today. The Smolensk power plant produces 1/7th of the nuclear power in Russia, contributing an average of 20 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year. It's rare to see the inside of these power plants.

The plant's central reactor is housed in a reinforced concrete shaft with a size of 21.6 feet x 21 feet. The reactor transfers energy from concrete through metal, and this concrete casing creates a cavity that ensures protection from radiation. The plant was originally built to have four reactors, but construction was stopped in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster.

After the Chernobyl accident, a range of advanced systems were designed to ensure safe operation. All three units in Smolensk are equipped with a station accident localization system.

The release of radioactive substances into the environment--even under the most severe accidents, including complete rupture of the reactor's pipeline cooling circuit--would be nearly impossible.

When operating the reactor at nominal power, about one or two fresh fuel cassette are loaded per day. The spent fuel is first placed in a special pond located in the central hall. As it fills throughout the day, cassettes are transported to separate storage facilities for used nuclear fuel.

Smolensk has three RBMK-1000 reactors for a combined wattage of 3000MW. The heat generated is mitigated with a water-cooling turbine system, a hall which spans 600m. Each reactor and individual cooling system is housed in a separate building. The station operates only in base mode, its load is not dependent on the changing needs of the power system.