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Russia / Work Begins On Installation Of Main Equipment At Fuel Fabrication Facility

By David Dalton
16 June 2020

Work Begins On Installation Of Main Equipment At Fuel Fabrication Facility
A computer-generated image of the pilot demonstration energy complex in Russia Photo courtesy Tvel.
Russia has begun work on installation of the main equipment for a nuclear fuel fabrication facility at a pilot demonstration energy complex under construction near the city of Seversk in central Russia.

The complex is at the site of the Siberian Chemical Plant, which is run by state nuclear fuel company Tvel, a subsidiary of state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom.

It is part of the country’s “Proryv” or “Breakthrough” project, which is designed to demonstrate a closed nuclear fuel cycle.

A closed nuclear fuel cycle means spent fuel is reprocessed and partly reused. Closing the nuclear fuel cycle would ease concerns over limited uranium resources and contribute towards making nuclear energy sustainable over the long term.

The Breakthrough project comprises a fuel production and refabrication facility for the production of dense uranium-plutonium (nitride) fuel for fast reactors, a nuclear power plant with a Brest-OD-300 lead-cooled fast-neutron reactor, and a used fuel retreatment module.

In December 2019 Siberian Chemical Combine signed a $412m contract with engineering company Titan-2 for construction and installation work for the Brest plant.

The site of the plant is being prepared for the start of construction work. Tvel said the Brest unit is scheduled for completion at the end of 2026.

The installation of equipment at the fuel fabrication facility will take about 18 months.

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