Authorities closed down a reactor at a nuclear power plant in western Russia on Tuesday for renovation work, the plant's management said in a written statement.
The number two reactor at the Sosonovy Bor plant, 70 kilometres (45 miles) from Saint Petersburg, was shut down as it had completed its 30-year service period, the statement said.
"According to experts, the technical state of the reactor is normal, and after modernisation it can be used for another 15 years," the statement read.
The reactor is of the same type as the one that melted down in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1987 in the world's worst nuclear accident.
The number one reactor at Sosonovy Bor was renovated last year to install additional safety features, and the reactor's use was prolonged by three years, the statement said.
