Vyacheslav Pershukov, Rosatom Deputy CEO and Breakthrough Project Manager, noted that Rosatom was the first company to recognize the closed fuel cycle as an alternative to the present-day heat generation technologies.

“This large-scale project involves all divisions of Rosatom and a variety of third-party companies,” Mr. Pershukov explains. “The project employs 1,500 experienced professionals. Together with the workers who have begun construction of a pilot BREST-300-OD fast breeder reactor, this number rises up to 3,000 employees. Last year we opened the project for foreign partners developing the same closed nuclear fuel cycle technology.”

According to Breakthrough Science Director Evgeny Adamov, there are no scientific challenges as feasibility of the closed nuclear fuel cycle has already been proved. The current task is to develop a competitive and efficient design.

R&D Director Valery Rachkov summarized key achievements of the Breakthrough Project, “Rosatom has developed PUREX, commercial technology for spent oxide fuel disposal. We have launched pilot production of oxide (MOX) and nitride (MNUP) fuel. Test fuel assemblies are irradiated in research reactors. The first assembly has been removed from the reactor to undergo post-irradiation examination.”