Russian newspaper Vedomosti wrote that Africantov Experimental Design and Machinery Bureau (OKBM,), Nizhniy Novgorod, has received the government order for new fast reactor for Beloyarsk NPP. BN-800 reactor will have power by one third higher than existing BN-600 reactor at Beloyarsk NPP. The cost of order, the largest in post-Soviet period, is above RUB 16 billion.
OKBM initiated the fulfillment of the government order - manufacture of equipment, systems and elements of BN-800 reactor structures. The delivery will be completed by 2011. OKBM chief designer in fast reactors activity Boris Vasiliev told that a number of plants-manufacturers were involved to the project: ZIO-Podolsk (Moscow region), Baltic plant and Izhora plants (St. Petersburg), Sevmash (Severodvinsk), Uralkhimmash (Sverdlovsk Region).
Significant part of equipment will be manufactured in OKBM, in particular, the main circulation pumps for sodium coolant pumping, actuating mechanisms of Control and Scram system of reactor, equipment for handling with fresh and spent nuclear fuel. Part of own OKBM work will be varied every year. The total cost of equipment will account to RUB 16 billion or 25% of the whole cost of unit.
"BN-800 reactor construction is very important for the whole nuclear power industry, since Russia will have a competitive advantage while other countries ceased its development in fast reactor area", - Rossatom press-secretary Sergey Novikov told Vedomosti.
Kurchatov Institute director Andrey Gagarinsky noted that now neither Europe nor USA build large reactors of this type. Only India began to construct fast reactor with lesser power - 500 MW (el.). And small pilot NPP is under construction in Chine with assistant of OKBM.
"Russia needs BN-800 reactor as a step to commercial reactor of a new generation and new power", - Gagarinski says.
Gagarinski thinks that the payback of these reactors can be 10 years.
SOURCE: AtomInfo.Ru
DATE: July 16, 2007