That same year, environmentalist  groups gathered in St. Petersburg and protested against the new LNPP2 plan (see photos) [1]. 

As protests advanced in subsequent months, the activists also demanded a public environmental impact study, which according to a law, has to be undertaken either before a government environmental impact study or while the governmental study is being conducted [3]. 

If the outcomes of a public environmental study were submitted after the confirmation of a government study, the findings of NGOs and civil society organisations will not taken into account, according to the law [3].

However, the administrative body denied the activist's demands arguing that the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant is a “federally significant installation” and a part of the “nuclear complex,” which, according to Presidential Order No. 1203 of November 1995, makes the new installation a classified as secret [3]. 

Giving that decision, the activists further argued that the new installation is certainty not a military one, and therefore neither a state secret one [3]. Further claims of of the activist against the new Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant included:

- an independent environmental impact study of the LNPP 2 project was denied by administrative body.  

- official documents about an accident that took place in 1975 at the original Leningrad Nuclear power  Plant  are still classified. 

- Potential accidents since the original Leningrad NPP  is very old (Chernobyl-like RBMK 1000 reactors)

- Proper nuclear waste management and safely still remain unsolved at local and global levels 

- There are no official protocols through which for the original Leningrad NPP would be turn off in a safe manner

-  Two reactor blocks at the Leningrad NPP were illegally extended and no environmental impact study was conducted

-  about78 percent people are against the construction of the new nuclear power plants (according to a ROMIR poll, activist stated)

- Even if there are safe operating conditions, only living near a nuclear power plant, the possibility to to became ill is 2.5 higher for people who live near a NPP

- 5 million residents can be seriously affected by a high possibility of a nuclear "accident" due the old Leningrad NPP.

However, the new LNPP2 was approved [4,5]. The  preliminary work and implementation of the LNPP2 project at the construction site started in July 2020. Unit 2 of the new project is expected to start this year - 2021  While units 3 and 4 by the end of 2025 [4] [5].

The company involved in this case is Rosenergoatom [4]. 

The project was developed to replace the existing RBMK-1000 type reactors at the Leningrad NPP, which is ageing [3,4,5].

Leningrad is one of the ten nuclear power plants being operated by Russia’s state-owned utility Rosenergoatom (Rosatom) [4].