Rosatom is developing a design for a new generation of nuclear power plants
Russia's Rosatom State Corporation is taking a giant step toward the development of next-generation nuclear energy. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
The corporation is developing a project for the country's largest high-capacity plant specializing in the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. This project is expected to be of decisive importance in providing raw materials for Generation IV nuclear energy projects.
Currently, Rosatom specialists are working on the investment justification. Within this process, the site where the new industrial complex will be built will be determined.
A final decision on the construction site is planned to be made by the end of this year. Russian mass media are reporting this based on information from the corporation.
The design of the new plant will be developed based on a modular system. This will allow for the gradual increase of production capacities in the future.
According to the plan, the first module will have a reprocessing capacity of 400 tons of fuel per year. The complex is expected to reach its full design capacity over the next decade.
This enterprise will be distinguished by its ability to reprocess fuel for both thermal and fast reactors. This will serve as a critical link in transitioning to a closed nuclear fuel cycle in Russia's atomic industry.
Once commissioned, the plant's infrastructure will allow for the repeated reintegration of regenerated nuclear materials into the fuel cycle. Generation IV technologies envision more efficient use of nuclear fuel, increased safety levels, and a significant reduction in the amount of radioactive waste.
Russia is considered one of the leading countries in the world in this direction. In particular, preliminary work has begun on the construction of the BN-1200M power unit at the Beloyarsk NPP.
Additionally, in the Tomsk region, the BREST-OD-300 reactor and a closed nuclear fuel cycle complex adjacent to the station are being built on a single site for the first time in world practice. The new plant will serve to provide a stable fuel supply for exactly such innovative projects.
While Uzbekistan is also planning to develop nuclear energy to diversify its energy balance, such technological achievements of Rosatom, a regional partner, are being closely monitored by industry specialists. Closed-cycle technologies are expected to take the environmental purity of nuclear energy to a new level in the future.
