Digital Technologies Help Kola Nuclear Power Plant Demonstrate Its Environmental Performance
Independent auditors have confirmed that the plant complies with Russian and international environmental management standards. They also highlighted its use of innovative methods to monitor operational risks.
The assessment was conducted by DEKUES, an expert organization whose certificates are recognized in virtually every country worldwide. The auditors examined the plant's environmental management system for compliance with the Russian standard GOST R ISO 14001-2016 and the international standard ISO 14001:2015. They identified nine best practices in environmental monitoring, work organization and industrial safety.
The plant undergoes similar audits regularly, and environmental protection is one of its priorities. Every year, specialists from Kola Nuclear Power Plant and independent organizations conduct more than 30,000 environmental monitoring measurements in the area surrounding the facility.
Digitalizing Environmental Monitoring
During the audit, experts paid particular attention to the introduction of standardized documentation templates. These digital tools simplify environmental risk assessments and standardize procedures across the organization. The previous paper-based workflow caused delays and made it harder to analyze accumulated data.
Measurements are now automatically recorded in electronic form. This makes it possible to generate reports quickly, track changes in key parameters and identify deviations. Automating these processes reduces the workload on staff and prevents data loss.
The plant has also upgraded its specialized ventilation systems and introduced technologies for cleaning and reusing refrigerants. This approach has reduced industrial emissions and resource consumption. In parallel, two-phase sensors have been installed in the special buildings at Stages 1 and 2 to monitor liquid radioactive waste. The new instruments provide more accurate liquid-level measurements, including beneath a layer of water, where conventional devices can produce errors.
As a result, environmental modernization extends beyond monitoring to improvements in the production processes themselves.
Condition-Based Diagnostics
Another innovation is the gradual shift toward predictive maintenance, an approach already being used at other Russian nuclear power plants. Decisions about equipment repairs are based on its actual condition rather than solely on a predetermined maintenance schedule.
Typically, equipment is serviced after a specified period of operation, even when its useful life has not been exhausted. This can lead to unnecessary costs and downtime at generating facilities. The new approach allows resources to be focused on components that show signs of wear.
Kola Nuclear Power Plant's experience is part of a broader digitalization program across Russia's nuclear industry. In April 2026, Rosenergoatom completed the deployment of the domestic information system Tsentr khimicheskoy podderzhki AES (Nuclear Power Plant Chemical Support Center) at 11 Russian nuclear power plants. The system collects and analyzes data on the chemical composition of process fluids, equipment operating parameters and water chemistry regimes.
In July, 11 nuclear power plants began pilot industrial operation of the domestically developed TOREKS system. The platform brings together information on equipment, defects, repairs and maintenance planning. It will also help track environmental performance, including emissions and wastewater.
Opportunities Beyond the Nuclear Industry
Automated monitoring technologies are in demand not only in the nuclear sector but also in petrochemicals, metallurgy, power generation, water supply and municipal utilities. One example is a project by Rosatom Infrastructure Solutions in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Territory. In March 2026, the company launched an intelligent air quality monitoring station based on the Russian-developed Smart-shlyuz M1 (Smart Gateway M1) system. The system measures concentrations of seven pollutants, automatically transmits the results and enables environmental data analysis. More than 70% of the device's electronic components are domestically produced.
There is also international demand for similar Russian-developed technologies. Moscow-based Doza Scientific and Production Enterprise has supplied automated radiation monitoring systems for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Turkey and the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh. A similar monitoring system is being developed for Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant.
Kola Nuclear Power Plant's experience offers a clear example of how advanced digital systems can strengthen environmental monitoring and industrial safety. Similar tools are being introduced at other plants, each of which also undergoes an independent audit every year. Environmental safety in nuclear power now depends not only on conventional environmental protection measures but also on the development of digital infrastructure.
