Are we moving in the right direction?
The reactors at the Kola nuclear power plant have been upgraded and safety standards greatly improved in the last 10 to 15 years. Both Norway and other countries have been involved in these efforts, but most of the funding has come from Russian sources.
The probability of severe core damage is now reported to be less than once every 10 000 operating years, which is the safety target proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for existing nuclear power plants. This is estimated to correspond to a risk reduction of at least 99 per cent compared with the original safety standards at the plant.