The program of pilot industrial operation of fuel assemblies with REMIX fuel has been completed at the first power unit of the Balakovo NPP. The third 18-month cycle in a row proceeded normally, confirming the reliability of the innovative composition under the real operating conditions of the VVER reactor.
Unlike standard fuel based on enriched natural uranium, REMIX fuel rods use a mixture of regenerated uranium and plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel. The approach opens the way to involving not only fast reactors, but also mass-produced light water units, which form the basis of the world's nuclear power industry, in the closed nuclear fuel cycle.
After the completion of post-reactor studies, specialists will be able to certify uranium-plutonium fuel for VVER reactors and offer it to the market for the first time. The next stage will be loading assemblies containing depleted uranium and up to 5% plutonium into the reactor.
Alexander Ugryumov, Senior Vice President for Scientific and Technical Activities at TVEL, noted that the accumulated experience and research results allow us to move on to commercializing the technology and create a universal solution for the reuse of nuclear materials.