TVEL Starts PWR Fuel Fabrication at Novosibirsk

TVEL has launched a new fabrication facility for pressurised water reactor (PWR) fuel at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant site in Russia. The facility will enable Rosatom's fuel division to supply modified versions of its TVS-K nuclear fuel to PWR plants around the world, the company said.

The design properties of the Russian PWR fuel have been confirmed by operation experience and post-irradiation studies, TVEL President Natalia Nikipelova said. "TVS-K introduction to the global market will enable diversification of PWR fuel supplies not only by supplier, but also by technology … TVS-K fuel is based on Russian technical solutions, which are not subject to export control restrictions of other countries. We are confident that implementation of our products will enable our customers to improve performance, while ensuring safety and reliability of the operations," she added.

TVS-K fuel has been developed by TVEL for Western-designed PWRs. The company in 2016 signed a commercial contract with Swedish utility Vattenfall to supply TVS-K fuel for the Ringhals plant, with delivery of commercial reloads of nuclear fuel assemblies to start from 2021.