“Mashinostroitelny Zavod (MSZ, Machine-Building Plant, included into Rosatom Fuel Company TVEL) and Areva collaboration began in 1994, – says Oleg Sedelnikov, the MSZ General Director. “The first four fuel assemblies were manufactured in 1996 for the Obrigheim NPP, Germany. Thus, next year our partnership will already be 20 years old!”
During this time the plant has made as many as 3000 fuel assemblies for the French company. In order to commemorate the jubilee a foreign delegation arrived to MSZ.
Fuel assmebly (FA), being one of the main reactor details, is a device containing nuclear materials, meant to get thermal energy due to controlled nuclear reaction. MSZ is one of the major industrial enterprises of Russia and one of the major producers and suppliers of nuclear fuel for NPPs. There are ten reactors in Western Europe, operating with its fuel. Areva’s Vice President Ingo Coban said at the ceremony that there had been 100 refueling in Western European reactors carried out in the cooperation with MSZ. “Nuclear energy is the clean form of energy, which is so necessary for people all over the world. This means that employees of the nuclear industry are making life on the Earth more pleasant. We really appreciate and proud of our cooperation! I am sure that over time we will celebrate the 4,000th and the 5,000th FA issue!” – he said.
In his welcoming speech the Gesgen NPP Director Herbert Meinecke said that after visiting the MSZ production units he became convinced of the reliability and high quality of products manufactured here. “Very soon this fuel assembly will be operated in the reactor core of our NPP; each tablet will be involved into electricity generation. I have seen the FA made for our station, and realized that the Mashinostroitelny Zavod supplies the highest quality products” – he said.
MSZ General Director pointed out that currently 10 NPP PWR and BWR reactors in Western Europe operate by the plant’s fuel. “Our active cooperation continues. Together we can implement projects of any complexity, release products of consistently high quality and traditional reliability”, – summed up Mr. Sedelnikov.
