The contract to supply TVS-K fuel assemblies for Ringhals Units 3 and 4 was signed in Stockholm. The first shipment of Russian fuel assemblies is scheduled for 2021.

The contract with TVEL makes it possible for Vattenfall to diversify nuclear fuel supplies and increase operating efficiency of its reactors.

Talks with the Swedish company began in 2008 and resulted in the contract signed in 2011 to supply pilot fuel assemblies for the Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant. These assemblies are still in use at Unit 3. “All the parameters are within the specified limits; no deviations have been detected. Safety and reliability of Russian-designed fuel is our top priority,” TVEL President Yuri Olenin stressed.

According to him, the parties have arrived at an understanding across key aspects of their cooperation and have been fulfilling their obligations. “Our fuel assemblies incorporate the latest technology solutions and many years of TVEL’s experience in the development and fabrication of VVER fuel,” Yuri Olenin said at the contract signing ceremony. In his turn, Vattenfall Nuclear Fuel AB Managing Director Per-Olof Nestenborgs praised Russian fuel quality and production standards.

“This is our long-awaited achievement,” says Rosatom’s Deputy CEO for Corporate Development and International Business Kirill Komarov. “It is not that we have just sold nuclear fuel. We have spent years to obtain licenses and pilot-test our fuel assemblies to show prospective customers that our fuel is safe and can be used in Western-designed reactors.”

According to Vattenfall, fuel contracts for 2018–2025 were signed with French Areva, Japan-American Westinghouse and Russian TVEL. Fuel will be supplied for Ringhals 3 and 4. The total price of the three contracts is 1.2 billion Swedish kroner, or about 123.5 million euros.

The contract with TVEL means that Vattenfall has recognized the quality of Russian fuel assemblies and brought the Russian producer into line with the long-standing Western fuel manufacturers, Areva and Westinghouse.

The Russian company plans to enter the American market. An agreement to this effect was signed in 2016 with Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas (GNF-A). The parties formed a consortium to market TVS-K assemblies in the USA. As a member of the consortium, GNF-A will run the project in the United States, manage licensing and QA processes, and provide engineering services. TVEL will provide technical support and expertise in TVS-K fuel design, and fabricate the first fuel assemblies to be piloted at its facilities. The joint project provides for TVS-K production to be established in the USA. The country has 99 operating power reactors, most of them being PWR.