The JSC Mashinostroitelny Zavod (MSZ – Elektrostal, Moscow Region) December 6 fabricated 100,000-th fuel assembly for an RBMK reactor. This event was marked a ceremony at which and commemorative certificate was signed to confirm the release of the jubilee fuel assembly.
The enterprise started fabricating RBMK fuel over 35 years ago. The first assemblies were produced for Leningrad nuclear power plant. Later, the plant started producing fuel assemblies for RBMK-1000s of Smolensk and Kursk nuclear power plants and RBMK-1500 of Ignalina NPP in Lithuania.
Addressing the ceremony, Anatoli Kupalov-Yaropolk, the Head of Laboratory in NIKIET named after N.A. Dollezhal, noted 50% of electricity produced by Russian NPPs had been generated and was generated by RBMK reactors. “This enormous amount of electricity has been produced owing exactly to the fuel assemblies which are being fabricated only at the Mashinostroitelny Zavod,” he noted.
At present, there are 12 RBMK reactors in operation worldwide. Eleven of them are in Russia and one is in Lithuania. The fuel for all these reactors is fabricated by JSC MSZ.
SOURCE: TVEL
DATE: December 17, 2007