Nikolay Klimov, deputy chief designer of the OKB Gidropress JSC:

— Our vision is that all the equipment could be manufactured in industrial conditions, therefore another advantage of the new reactor is its compactness. That is, we will be able to manufacture it at a factory and deliver to a construction site as almost completed and then load the fuel into it.

The state Corporation Rosatom and the En + Group (based on EuroSibEnergo) have registered a joint venture– AKME-engineering JSC. The joint venture is established on a parity basis and will be involved in developing and biulding an experimental reactor with a capacity of 100 MW based on the technology of lead-bismuth fast reactor (SVBR) and will promote subsequent commercialization of this technology. The technology of SVBR-100 reactor facility is developed by enterprises of Rosatom. The nearest plans of the joint venture are the completion of R & D in support of the project and the issue the technical design of the reactor plant and capital equipment, as well as designing of an experimental pilot power unit and obtaining of a license to its placement. The commissioning of the pilot power unit with a SVBR-100 reactor can be implemented in 2019.

Nikolay Klimov, deputy chief designer of the OKB Gidropress JSC:

— This is a new-generation reactor, in which design there was applied the experience acquired at making such reactors for submarines. This is a fast reactor, it fits well with the closed fuel cycle – i.e. waste is not left to future generations, and eventually the reactor will able to recycle its own waste as a fuel and use them for energy production. The SVBR is a reactor without pressure in the first circuit. Water-cooled reactors have a pressure of 150 atmospheres in the circuit, but in our case there is only the atmospheric pressure. This was achieved thanks to the fact that as a coolant in the first circuit it is used a liquid metal melting at a temperature of 125 degrees. This is like a «pot» in which they loaded the reactor itself, a pump and a steam generator.

Low power is also one of the advantages. Because now our factories focused on something to develop large energy, and they are now overloaded with orders for shells of water-moderated water-cooled power reactor. We produce low-power reactors, i.e., there is a focus on small energy — that had never been before either in Russia or in the world.

An interest in the development is shown by many countries which do not have a developed electricity network system, infrastructure, or who simply can not allocate a large amount of electricity in their own country, or they just do not need it. And, besides, the reactor can be operated in the assigned mode outside the network as well, and its power is created as a bargaining chip. That is, if the customer needs 200 megawatts – it will be 2 reactor facilities, if 300, then 3 reactor facilities of an unified type. This flexibility is required so as to attempt to cover a range of consumers as much as possible.

Our vision is that all the equipment could be manufactured in industrial conditions, therefore another advantage of the new reactor is its compactness. That is, we will be able to manufacture it at a factory and deliver to a construction site as almost completed and then load the fuel into it.

In addition, this reactor has a higher safety level in comparison with the current serial one. Sodium, as we know, is not on friendly terms with water, and our coolant is a metal, in contact with water it behaves normally, without any explosions. No fires arise there, at accidents the ordinary suppression takes place. Its thermal activity, in contrast to existing reactors, is much less, and control of rods (control and protection system) is carried out in such way, that an operator, even if he would have wanted it, won’t be able to start it up independently.

We design the reactor for any type of fuel. But the first most-tested power unit will be started by us on uranium oxide widely used nowadays, and then we replaced it with any type of mixed oxide fuel our concept is that the reactor should be «omnivores».