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A steel reactor base plate and the lower tier of the containment has been installed in what is being called a landmark moment for construction of the BREST-OD-300 generation IV fast neutron reactor in Russia.

Date: Thursday, 18 January 2024
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-lead-cooled-fast-neutron-reactor-s-installat

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has recalled that in his opening statement to the IAEA Board in November, he reported that IAEA had observed increased levels of activity at, and near, the Light Water Reactor (LWR) at Yongbyon in North Korea. Also – since mid-October – a strong water outflow from its cooling system was noted. These observations were consistent with the commissioning of the LWR, he said.

Date: Wednesday, 03 January 2024
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsiaea-reports-activity-at-north-korean-reactor-11405973

Specialists at the AI Leipunsky Institute of Physics & Power Engineering (IPPE – part of Rosatom) in Obninsk have launched a physical model of the active zone of the BN-1200M fast neutron reactor unit using the complex of fast physical stands (BFS) at the institute. “This was assembled in record time – in less than two months. Typically, such tasks require about 4-5 months, said Alexander Zhukov, head of the BFS complex. “We manually collected more than 4,700 fuel rods, which made it possible to successfully complete the critical mass set and go into critical condition. This was achieved thanks to the first-class work of the entire team of the BFS critical stands.”

Date: Saturday, 16 December 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsrussian-institute-unveils-physical-model-of-bn-1200-fast-neutron-reactor-core-11375183

At Russia’s Mining & Chemical Combine (MCC) in Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk) the decommissioning of two legacy industrial uranium-graphite reactors, AD and ADE-1, is nearing completion. Work on the third one, ADE-2, is underway, but with a difference. It will become the main exhibit of the ADE-2 museum. The ceremony, marking the decision to establish the museum took place in 2021. The AD series reactors, designed by OKBM, are water-cooled uranium-graphite thermal neutron reactors built for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. Three more (ADE-3, 4 & 5), which were subsequently built at the Siberian Chemical Combine in Seversk, are also being decommissioned.

Date: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsrussias-uranium-graphite-ade-2-reactor-to-become-museum-exhibit-10933436

Simulations have shown that a fuel rod designed by the company significantly outperforms traditional MOX fuel in consuming plutonium, and would be well-suited for consuming excess weapons-grade material.

Date: Tuesday, 14 February 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Lightbridge-fuel-offers-Pu-management-option

Russia’s Experimental-Demonstration Centre for Decommissioning Uranium-Graphite Nuclear Reactors (UDC UGR, part of state nuclear corporation Rosatom) has completed the dismantling and fragmentation of technological equipment and pipelines at the industrial reactors ADE-4 and ADE-5 at the Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC) in Seversk. The AD series reactors, designed by OKBM, are water-cooled uranium-graphite thermal neutron reactors.

Date: Saturday, 14 January 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsrussia-dismantles-two-uranium-graphite-reactors-10515622

Iraq is working on a plan to build nuclear reactors in face of widespread blackouts that have sparked social unrest, Bloomberg reported on 8 June. Despite being OPEC’s second biggest oil producer, Iraq is suffering from power shortages and insufficient investment in ageing plants, and needs to meet an expected 50% jump in demand by the end of the decade. Building NPPs could help to close the supply gap.

Date: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsiraq-looks-to-revive-its-nuclear-programme-8822664

Russia has loaded about one-third of the reactor core of the BN-800 fast neutron reactor at Beloyarsk-4 with commercial mixed oxide uranium-plutonium (MOX) fuel, state nuclear operator Rosenergoatom said.

Rosenergoatom said the move to MOX fuel at Beloyarsk-4 brings the Russian nuclear industry “one step closer” to its goal of closing the fuel cycle.

It said that for the first time during a planned outrage, which began on 8 January 2021 and concluded this week, only MOX fuel was loaded into the reactor.

Staff loaded 160 MOX fuel assemblies to complement the first 18 which were loaded in January 2020. There are now 178 MOX assemblies from a total of 565 in the reactor core.

Date: Friday, 26 February 2021
Original article: nucnet.org/news/russia-one-step-closer-to-goal-of-closing-nuclear-fuel-cycle-2-4-2021

The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) have announced the completion of a multi-year campaign to repatriate 161kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) liquid target residue material from Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario, Canada, to the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina.

Date: Tuesday, 19 January 2021
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsrepatriation-of-heu-from-canada-to-usa-8458729