- Sputnik International, 1920
Russia
The latest news and stories from Russia. Stay tuned for updates and breaking news on defense, politics, economy and more.

Russian Nuclear Reactor That Uses 'Innovative' Fuel Goes Into 'Full Power Mode'

© Sputnik / Павел Лисицын / Pavel Lisitsyn / Go to the mediabankThe central hall of the fourth generating unit with a BN-00 nuclear reactor at the Beloyarskaya Nuclear Power Plant in Zarechny, Sverdlovsk Region
The central hall of the fourth generating unit with a BN-00 nuclear reactor at the Beloyarskaya Nuclear Power Plant in Zarechny, Sverdlovsk Region - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.09.2022
Subscribe
Use of the new fuel is expected to drastically increase the fuel base of the nuclear power generation sector and further minimize radioactive waste.
On September 22, Unit 4 of the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia reached 100 percent capacity for the first time.
According to the Atomic Energy web portal, the entire active zone of the BN-800 fast breeder reactor at Unit 4 has been fully switched to mixed oxide fuel (or MOX fuel for short) made from plutonium dioxide, which is made from reprocessed fuel rods used in standard VVER pressurized water reactors, and depleted uranium oxide made from reprocessed byproducts of the uranium enrichment process.
The use of MOX fuel essentially brings the entire Russian nuclear industry a step closer to a “new technological platform based on the closed nuclear fuel cycle,” drastically increasing the fuel base of the nuclear power generation sector and further minimizing radioactive waste, the portal suggests.
Nuclear power plant in Biblis, Germany - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.09.2022
Energy Crisis in Europe
US Views German Reconsideration of Nuclear Power ‘Favorably’ - State Dept. Energy Chief
Ivan Sidorov, director of the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant, has explained that, as per the license agreement, the reactor at Unit 4 had to spend 300 hours working at 85 percent capacity after the new fuel was loaded, and that nothing out of the ordinary happened during that time.
Therefore, Sidorov stated, the “innovative” MOX fuel works as intended and the reactor can now generate electricity and heat “reliably, safely and at full capacity.”
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала