20 Apr (NucNet): US-based developer of thorium-based nuclear fuel designs Thorium Power has signed an agreement in Moscow for Russian nuclear design bureau Red Star to carry out irradiation testing on its seed and blanket fuel designs.
Thorium Power said the aim of the testing is to move towards the deployment of its thorium-based fuel in full-sized commercial reactor units.
Red Star is government-owned and the contract is subject to the approval of Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), but this is expected before the summer of 2007. Testing at Russia’s Kurchatov Institute will continue throughout the approvals process, the company said.
Thorium Power said this next phase could lead to the demonstration of the fuel technology in lead-test assemblies for use in a full-size commercial reactor – the last major technical milestone before commercial deployment into multiple power plants.
Andrey Mushakov, Thorium Power’s executive vice-president for international nuclear operations, said Red Star and Thorium Power have already cooperated in a study of the engineering and regulatory requirements to use Thorium’s fuel designs in a Russian VVER-1000 reactor unit, and have agreed on an implementation plan.
Thorium-based fuel is proliferation-resistant, reduces nuclear waste and has significant economic advantages, the company said.
Thorium-based fuels and fuel cycles have been used in the past and are being developed in a few countries including India, but have yet to be commercialised.
In June 2006, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency said existing estimates of thorium resources total more than 4.5 million tonnes (reserves and additional resources).
