15.12.2006 // PR Directorate of TVEL OJSC

A pilot sample of fuel assembly for the first floating NPP in the world has been made at Machine Building Plant (Elektrostal, Moscow region)

“We were entrusted with designing this product because we have a big experience in producing nuclear fuel for ship reactors,” says MBP Director O. Krukov.

The sample will be sent for testing to Afrikantov Experimental Machine Building Design Bureau (OKBM) (Nizhniy Novgorod), which is the author of this type of fuel assembly. Next year the plant will continue its work on the product and will produce more samples.

Krukov says that when designing the sample they invented an original fuel assembly construction. The rolled staff for the hex-shaped case of the assembly was made of special alloy at the plant’s pipe shop.

Rosenergoatom is the owner and key investor of the floating NPP project. The plant will have two KLT-40C reactors with a total capacity of over 70 KW. The reactors have been designed at Afrikantov OKBM. The project will take 8 years and cost almost 9 bln RUR (with infrastructure and icebreaker type platform).

Machine Building Plant has a big experience in producing fuel for ship reactors. In Aug 1957 it launched the first nuclear submarine.

The fuel for the submarine was produced by MBP. The plant also produced fuel for Lenin Icebreaker, which was commissioned in Dec 1959. In 60–80s the plant was actively involved in the program of nuclear submarine fleet development.