Rosatom completes foundation concreting for the BREST-OD-300 reactor

Another milestone achieved in construction of the innovative BREST-OD-300 fast neutron reactor at the site of the Siberian Chemical Combine, a subsidiary of Rosatom’s TVEL Fuel Company, as the pouring of the nuclear island’s foundation slab has been completed.

The BREST-OD-300 foundation slab, 90 x 82 meters and 2.5 meters thick, consists of nine separate units. The works have been carried out by the general contractor Titan-2, the scientific support is provided by the Research Institute of Reinforced Concrete Structures, based in Saint-Petersburg.

Almost 19 thousand cubic meters of concrete, 4.3 thousand tons of reinforcement were laid in the foundation slab of the nuclear island – this volume would be enough for construction of two eight-story buildings. The builders have been working around the clock.

The plate strength for BREST-OD-300 is significantly higher than for standard reactors. The foundation concreting had been preceded by the profound research, the properties of concrete had been thoroughly studied, in order to ensure the required quality. In May 2021, before the first concrete was poured, a model of the foundation slab had been created, so that the experts could test the quality of joints between the blocks. The foundation slab is based 6,4 meters underground. Currently, the builders are working on construction of the boundary walls.

The construction of a 300 MW nuclear power unit enabled with the innovative BREST-OD-300 lead-cooled fast reactor began on June 8, 2021, at the site of the Siberian Chemical Combine in Seversk, Russia’s Tomsk region. The reactor will run on mixed uranium-plutonium nitride fuel, specially developed for this facility (it is considered to be the optimal solution for fast reactors).

The power plant will make up an integral part of the Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (PDEC) – a cluster of three interconnected unique facilities, including the nuclear fuel production plant (for fabrication and refabrication), the BREST-OD-300 power unit, and the facility for irradiated fuel reprocessing. For the first time in history, a nuclear power plant powered by a fast reactor will be built alongside closed nuclear fuel cycle servicing enterprises on one site. After reprocessing, the irradiated fuel from the reactor will be sent for refabrication (i.e. reproduction into fresh fuel), thereby giving this system the means to gradually become practically autonomous and independent of external resources supplies. PDEC is constructed in the framework of Rosatom’s “Breakthough” project, aimed at development of the new technological platform for the nuclear industry.

TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom (the Fuel division of Rosatom State Corporation) includes enterprises for the manufacture of nuclear fuel, conversion and enrichment of uranium, production of gas centrifuges, as well as research and design organizations.

This year the company celebrates its 25th anniversary. Established in 1996, today the company is one of the largest suppliers of fuel for the global nuclear power industry, continues to strengthen its position by implementing new production projects. In the entire history of TVEL, there have been no complaints from customers about the quality of products. Being the only supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian nuclear power plants, TVEL provides fuel to a total of 75 power reactors in 15 countries, research reactors in nine countries of the world, as well as transport reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet. Every sixth power reactor in the world is powered by TVEL fuel.

Rosatom’s fuel division is the world’s largest producer of enriched uranium, as well as the leader of the global market for stable isotopes. The Fuel Division is actively developing new businesses in the field of chemistry, metallurgy, energy storage technologies, 3D printing, digital products, as well as decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Rosatom’s industry integrators for additive technologies and power storage systems have been created in the Fuel Company TVEL circuit. http://www.tvel.ru