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Rosatom launches second facility for depleted uranium processing TVEL, PUBLISHED 14.09.2026 Rosatom's Fuel Division has commenced pilot operation of a new production unit, W2-ECP, at the Electrochemical Plant (ECP) in Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Region, East Siberia. The unit is designed for defluorination of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUHF), a compound of uranium and fluorine. This is the second such facility in Russia, with an annual processing capacity of 10,000 tonnes. The new unit will double Russia's total deconversion capacity to 20,000 tonnes per year. This achievement a significant milestone in ensuring the environmental safety of Russia's nuclear industry, in line with the Sustainable Development concept. The defluorination units employ pyrohydrolysis technology to convert chemically aggressive DUHF into a safe and stable compund - uranium oxide powder. In this form, depleted uranium can be safely stored long-term in containers at open-air sites. Even after repeated extraction of the fissile uranium-235 isotope, the remaining "tail" uranium retains its value as an energy resource. Depleted uranium is used in oxide uranium-plutonium MOX fuel for the BN-800 fast reactor (prospectively for BN-1200), as well as in nitride UP fuel for the BREST-OD-300 reactor (and prospectively BR-1200). "Russia is the undisputed global leader in low-enriched uranium production, and this carries a certain responsibility for managing the DUHF that remains at our facilities after enrichment. Rosatom is deeply committed to environmental and sustainable development priorities, which is why we are investing in expanding DUHF processing capacity. Given our extensive work on fourth-generation nuclear technologies, depleted uranium is no longer a production waste - it is becoming a strategic resource for the energy of the future," said Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom. "Rosatom is actively investing in the development of nuclear fuel cycle technologies and production facilities across the entire chain, including the recycling of uranium tailings, spent nuclear fuel, and other materials that should not be merely stored but put to reuse. Given growing global demand in uranium, as well as our next-generation technologies, any depleted uranium - regardless of its uranium-235 content - remains of enormous value to the industry. Our centrifuges enable highly efficient re-enrichment of DUHF, and the availability of fast reactors in Russia allows secondary nuclear materials, such as plutonium and depleted uranium to be used in nuclear fuel. Through DUHF defluorination, we achieve a closed-loop cycle not only for uranium but also for fluorine, which is returned to the conversion process," noted Natalya Nikipelova, President of TVEL JSC (managing company of Rosatom's Fuel Division). Fluorine-containing products obtained through hexafluoride defluorination -are supplied to the market as certified chemical products. Since 2011, the Electrochemical Plant's hydrofluoric products have been delivered to Rosatom enterprises as well as to customers in the chemical, metallurgical, mining, and oil & gas industries. Topics: NFC, Rosatom, TVEL, Uranium Other news: Welding of Primary Coolant Piping Completed at Akkuyu-2 The welding was completed in 73 days. Construction of first NPP in Uzbekistan is launched Ceremony marked pouring of first concrete. Rosatom Enters Indian Market of Additive Manufacturing RusBeam 2800 industrial 3D printer has successfully supplied. |
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Welding of Primary Coolant Piping Completed at Akkuyu-2 The welding was completed in 73 days - the time required to carry out welding operations on all 32 pipe joints. INTERVIEW
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