Scientists from the Bochvar High-Tech Research Institute of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM, part of Rosatom State Corporation) have completed the creation of a technology for the industrial production of mixed uranium-plutonium nitride fuel intended for new generation nuclear reactors. This was announced by Mikhail Skupov, Deputy General Director of VNIINM, laureate of the National Award "Challenge" 2025 in the nomination "Engineering Solution".
We managed to solve all the problems associated with the creation of the world's first technology for the production of mixed uranium-plutonium fuel for generation IV nuclear power reactors, to carry out the entire cycle of tests, including the manufacture and operation of fuel elements in the reactor, and to transfer the technology to industry, bringing its readiness level to the maximum.
According to him, the development solves all the key technological problems associated with the production of fuel for generation IV reactors — power units capable of operating on a closed fuel cycle using spent nuclear fuel. The new nitride fuel provides high power density, resistance to extreme conditions and allows to multiply the resource of nuclear fuel.
The technology paves the way for energy autonomy for millennia through the efficient use of plutonium extracted from spent fuel
The 2025 "Challenge" Award was jointly awarded to Mikhail Skupov and his colleague Alexey Glushenkov for an engineering solution that is of strategic importance for the development of the nuclear energy of the future.
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