Oleg Saraev, Deputy General Director of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC:

 — BN-600 will also play an important role in the coming period of commercial fast reactors production and will count for much in terms of fuel cycle closure.

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.

Oleg Saraev, Deputy General Director of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC:

BN-600 operation has been splendid not only from the technical point of view, but it has been excellent as a commercial power unit. For a long time the unit has been occupying the leading position among Rosenergoatom nuclear power plants, for example, by the number of recorded failures – i.e. their minimum. It’s a very good result for an innovative unit. I used the word “innovative” not least because since the late 60s its properties have not found practical application in many countries taking interest in fast neutron reactors. This fact affords ground for our hope of fast neutron reactors development in the future. Indeed, now we have extended the life of this unit and the staff, people, organizations having taken part in it hope that their work will be continued and we’ll make progress.

BN-600 will also play an important role in the coming period of commercial fast reactors production and will count for much in terms of fuel cycle closure. It’s sure to give us an impetus to further fruitful activity. Indeed, now we construct BN-800. Certainly, BN-800 has undergone a kind of ”evolution” because it has the best BN-600 features and the works aimed at improvement of its safety and reliability have been carried out. But its main purpose is to hold down our subject, scientific and engineering support for the future, elaborate the optimal fuel cycle closure technologies, naturally, in a greater degree it will concern fuel compositions materials, and to lay down the foundation for development of BN-1200 being one of our priority tasks for the moment.

BN-1200 is integrated in the federal target program “New Nuclear Energy Technologies”, the state has devoted budgetary funds, and this is a weighty proof of its concern about development of this direction. And the works are being carried out.

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.