Rosenergoatom Concern is accelerating preparations for the construction of the first serial power unit with a BN-1200M fast neutron reactor. According to TASS, Alexander Shutikov, the concern's CEO, announced that the "first concrete" for Unit No. 5 of the Beloyarsk NPP is scheduled for late 2027. A key administrative milestone is obtaining the conclusion of Glavgosexpertiza on the project documentation for the main construction period by the end of 2026, after which a construction license is expected in spring 2027.
The industrial site for Unit No. 5 has already been cleared of more than 1.4 million cubic meters of spoil, and the area has been cleared of vegetation and stumps. According to Yuri Nosov, director of the Beloyarsk NPP, the drilling and blasting program and site planning will be ready by the end of summer 2026. The BN-1200M is an evolutionary development of fast sodium reactor technology, already proven on the BN-600 and BN-800 units of the same station. The IV generation reactor is capable of operating in a closed nuclear fuel cycle, repeatedly using spent fuel and minimizing radioactive waste.
Thus, after decades of operating experimental fast reactors, Russia is moving to their serial replication. The BN-1200M will be the lead unit, which should confirm the economic efficiency of the closed cycle for large-scale nuclear energy. If the project meets the stated deadlines, by the mid-2030s the country will have a reactor capable of ensuring the fuel independence of the nuclear industry for centuries to come.
