OPTIMIZATION OF POWER LOAD FOLLOWING MODES FOR VVER-1000

The need to involve nuclear power plants in daily power regulation is driven by the gradual increase in the share of renewable energy sources in the Unified Energy System (UES) of Ukraine. Additionally, the conditions for implementing measures to address climate change and deteriorating operating conditions of the UES in the face of economic changes play a significant role. There is an increased demand for maneuverable capacity to ensure the fulfillment of the daily electricity consumption schedule. However, the existing daily power regulation mode for PWR-1000 in Ukraine has significant drawbacks. Therefore, this paper proposes a method for optimizing the daily power regulation mode, examines the shortcomings of the existing power regulation method at nuclear power plants with PWR-1000 reactors in Ukraine, and suggests an approach for their elimination — utilizing the so-called "grey" rod clusters for power load following in this mode.