Noel Kamarka, EDF, France:

 — The first thirty years of the BN-600 operation were a great success. And your program of a 40 years increase of the operating life has been successfully completed

On July 23, 2010 the IXth scientific-technical conference dedicated to 30 years of successful operation of the unique BN-600 power unit with fast neutrons reactor was held in Zarechny city, Sverdlovsk region. The conference was organized by Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC and Beloyarsk NPP. The conference was attended by over 100 professionals. Among them — representatives of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC, research studies institutes, design organizations as well as foreign nuclear specialists from Italy, France, India and Japan.

Noel Kamarka, EDF, France:

We stopped big programs 13 years ago. At that time it was the government’s decision. But at the moment we have begun a research program. In the law of 2006 the Government announced a program to be implemented by 2020. This program was agreed with the Nuclear Power Commissariat. And the electric sector (I represent EDF) is also involved. In other words, we participate in the “Astrid”, a program held by the French Nuclear Power Commissariat.

You have an excellent implementation. The first thirty years of the BN-600 operation were a great success. And your program of a 40 years increase of the operating life has been successfully completed. And, of course, the BN-800 construction is a good idea. We wish you to commission the power unit in 2014.

According to Mr. Bakanov, extending of the reactor operating life up to 40 years has already been implemented, and there is a suggestion to go further, the documents were applied for a 45 years service extension. And we have already seen at the conference that you have replaced the steam generators. In my opinion, this program goes well and performs its objectives.

Cooperation between Russia and France has a long history, and there is already a new protocol on cooperation between my company, EDF, and Rosatom, which was signed last month. As for the BN-600, there are two very important issues — the BN-600 project and the projects generally selected by France are similar. We saw yesterday during our visit to the plant. The other important issue in this cooperation is a high quality of BN-600 operation with a very high utilization factor of maximum capacity. In the best year it exceeded 80% and this is excellent. It is a good example for other people who create such projects. And you’ll see in my presentation that we will use this in future. And the third issue, where Russia has demonstrated a very good progress, is MOX fuel (mixed oxide fuel). It was stated that it will be used in the new BN-800 project, and it is known that we have 22 water reactors in France, and it was allowed to use MOX fuel for them, we have used this practice for 15 years. You will have more progress; I hope that I would see MOX fuel in the BN-800. This is also an experience of cooperation which has existed since 1995. It is natural, that we speak only about information exchange rather than construction.

REFERENCE: Beloyarsk NPP is a branch of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC operating all nuclear power plants of Russia. This is the first NPP in the nuclear power industry of the country and the only one with reactors of different types on the same site. At Beloyarsk NPP the unique power unit with a fast neutron reactor of industrial power level is being operated — BN-600. The BN-800 power unit with a fast neutron reactor is being constructed. The fast neutron power units serve for substantial extension of the fuel base of the nuclear power industry and minimization of radioactive waste due to the closed nuclear fuel cycle. The first power units of Beloyarsk NPP with the AMB-100 and AMB-200 fast neutron reactors have outlived their usefulness.