Russian nuclear fuel producer may start commercial supplies to Western reactors in 2018-2019
MOSCOW. March 14 (Interfax) - The Russian nuclear fuel producer TVEL incorporated in the state corporation Rosatom will supply first experimental Western-design nuclear fuel assemblies TVS-K to the Swedish nuclear power plant Ringhals-3 in 2014 and could start their commercial supplies to the European market in 2018-2019.
TVEL quoted Vattenfall Nuclear Fuel AB President Per-Olof Nestenborg as saying at a press conference that the contract with TVEL envisions the supply of first experimental fuel assemblies to one pressurized water reactor (PWR) in 2014 for fuel qualification. As such fuel assemblies have never been operated yet, their qualification will continue until the fuel is fully spent, which can take 4 to 5 years, Nuclear.ru quoted Nestenborg as saying.
If the experimental operation of TVS-K proves successful, TVEL could enter the Western-type reactor market, it said.
TVEL had reported earlier that it planned commercial supplies of TVS-K in 2015-2016.
The TVS-K project is being pursued with the aim of Rosatom's expansion on the global nuclear fuel market. TVS-K fuel assemblies are intended for use in Western-type PWRs and are square in shape, while Russian VVER-type reactors use hexagonal nuclear fuel assemblies.
The PWR fuel market is currently controlled by Areva NP and Westinghouse Electric Company, which supply fuel for Ringhals as well.
TVEL currently controls nearly 100% of nuclear fuel supplies to VVER reactors. However, Westinghouse ventured to enter the Russian-design reactor market several years ago.
Westinghouse has a contract with Ukraine on shipping nuclear fuel to that country in 2011-2015. Westinghouse-produced fuel is currently being used in the reactors of units 2 and 3 of the Southern Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant and should be loaded into unit 5 of the Zaporizhzhya Nucelar Power Plant.
Ringhals operates four reactors built in 1970s-1980s, one of them boiling water reactor (BWR) and the other PWRs, with an aggregate power rating of 3,560 MWt.
Vattenfall is a major European power company operating 9 nuclear reactors in Sweden and Germany.