Rosatom’s TVEL Fuel Company has manufactured an experimental nuclear fuel assembly for the world's first land-based small modular reactor nuclear power plant (SMR NPP) based on a RITM-200N reactor.
The SMR plant with installed electrical capacity of 55 MW is scheduled to be launched in Yakutia in 2028. In 2025, Elemash (TVEL’s fabrication facility) will start fabrication of the first fuel assemblies with the whole initial loading batch expected to be manufactured in 2026. Before the start of production, the trial fuel assemblies and their dummies will undergo a range of necessary pre-irradiation tests.
Small nuclear power plants are considered an optimal solution for a sustainable and reliable power supply in remote areas away from central grids, where construction of large-scale power facilities is not rational. SMR NPPs can also replace old fossil-based power plants with high CO2 emissions. Overall, SMR NPPs have a number of particular advantages in addition to the traditional benefits of nuclear generation.
TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom (the Rosatom fuel division) includes enterprises for the manufacture of nuclear fuel, conversion and enrichment of uranium, production of gas centrifuges, as well as research and design organizations.
This year the company celebrates its 25th anniversary. Established in 1996, today the company is one of the largest suppliers of fuel for the global nuclear power industry, continues to strengthen its position by implementing new production projects. In the entire history of TVEL, there have been no complaints from customers about the quality of products. Being the only supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian nuclear power plants, TVEL provides fuel to a total of 75 power reactors in 15 countries, research reactors in nine countries of the world, as well as transport reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet. Every sixth power reactor in the world is powered by TVEL fuel.
Rosatom's fuel division is the world's largest producer of enriched uranium, as well as the leader of the global market for stable isotopes. The Fuel Division is actively developing new businesses in the field of chemistry, metallurgy, energy storage technologies, 3D printing, digital products, as well as decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Rosatom's industry integrators for additive technologies and power storage systems have been created in the Fuel Company TVEL circuit. http://www.tvel.ru