Russia’s Rosatom to Test Fuel for Pilot Nuclear Reactor in 2023

 / Go to the mediabankRussion Rosatom corporation’s logo / Go to the mediabankMOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian nuclear fuel monopoly TVEL, which supplies fuel to the state atomic giant Rosatom, said on Tuesday it would start testing uranium-plutonium nitride fuel next year designed for the country’s pilot fast neutron reactor BN-1200M.”Fuel elements containing mixed dense uranium-plutonium nitride nuclear fuel will be loaded into a BN-600 fast reactor at the Beloyarsk nuclear power station in 2023 under the reactor research program,” its statement read.The nuclear power plant will also host a cutting-edge BN-1200M reactor, which will boast an electrical output of 1,220 megawatt. It runs on predecessor fast-neutron breeder reactors of the BN series generating 600 and 885 megawatt.As part of the national nuclear build-out, Rosatom is looking to introduce a nuclear energy system based on fast reactors and pressurized water reactors that will enable the closing of the nuclear fuel cycle, reducing concerns about supply and waste. The first commercial power unit equipped with a BN-1200 reactor will be built in the early 2030s.

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