TVEL Fuel Company organized a conference on new types of fuel for NPP

At the conference opening President of TVEL OJSC Yuri Olenin noted that priority tasks of Rosatom Fuel Company are “security of production and the output, improvement of nuclear fuel performance characteristics, expansion of international cooperation, and introduction of innovations”.
“For the last three years the Fuel Company did its best to restructure and reform nuclear fuel producing enterprises. Productivity enhancement gave the option of getting additional investments in the amount of about 1 bln dollars to be spent on modernization and technical retooling of the plants, innovative developments financing. We got a chance to satisfy the needs of our customers more completely”, Olenin said.
Deputy General Director of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC Vladimir Asmolov spoke of long-term positive experience of collaboration with the Fuel Company the Russian NPP’s operator had. In particular, Asmolov emphasized that introduction of the last generation fuel assemblies of TVEL production improved operational efficiency of power units.
In the course of the conference Russian and foreign participants discussed the principal directions for development of the fuel structure for the VVER-type reactors. Vice-president of TVEL OJSC for scientific and technical activity Pyotr Lavrenyuk reported on the new generation fuel assemblies which are already operating at NPP’s with the VVER-type reactors as well as told about TVEL’s promising projects. “Development of the fuel assembly structure that would meet the requirements of dependable, safe and cost effective operation is the primary task of TVEL Fuel Company”, Lavrenyuk emphasized. According to his words, the new generation fuel assemblies being successfully operated at Russian NPP ensure burn up fraction up to 60 mW×day/kgU and increase-powered NPP operation.
Director – General Designer of Hydropress OJSC Sergey Ryzhov, Deputy Director of All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Inorganic Materials OJSC Vladimir Troyanov and other representatives of Russian scientific centers and design bureaus made presentations within the framework of the conference.
TVEL OJSC is a part of Rosatom State Corporation. The principal activity of TVEL OJSC is development, production and sale (including export) nuclear fuel as well as related nuclear and non-nuclear products.
According to the resolution of Rosatom State Corporation a fuel company is being established on the basis of TVEL OJSC. The purpose of the Fuel Company establishment is formation of the optimal management structure for nuclear fuel cycle enterprises for them to enhance operational efficiency and competitive in the global market of nuclear fuel cycle production and services and full satisfaction of Russian and foreign customers needs. At the same time Fuel Company will improve starting positions for global alliances with western companies and ensure priority development of scientific component necessary for innovative development of production facilities. At the first stage the Fuel Company will integrate enterprises manufacturing gas centrifuges, separating and sublimating plants and fuel producing plants. President of TVEL OJSC – Yuri Olenin, Chairman of the board of directors – Deputy General Director of Rosatom State Corporation Alexander Lokshin.
Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation (Rosatom State Corporation) comprises more than 270 enterprises and scientific organizations including all civil companies of the Russian nuclear power industry, nuclear weapon complex and the unique in the world nuclear icebreaking fleet. Rosatom State Corporation is the largest generating company in Russia providing more than 40% of electric power in the European part of the country. Rosatom occupies the leading position in the world market of nuclear technologies and is the first in the world pertaining the number of simultaneously constructed NPP’s abroad, the second — pertaining uranium resources and the fifth – the extent of production, the fourth – generation of nuclear power, provides 40% of uranium enrichment services in the world market and 17% of the nuclear fuel market.