OREANDA-NEWS. In the Federal Agency for Atomic Energy a seminar was held within the frames of a press tour of Ukrainian mass media representatives. The subject of the seminar was participation of TVEL Corporation in creation of nuclear fuel cycle elements in Ukraine.

Vice-President Vasily Konstantinov told Ukrainian reporters about the main phases of the nuclear fuel cycle dwelling in detail on the aspect of Russian-Ukrainian cooperation in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle starting uranium mining up to fuel fabrication. In course of the final seminar briefing in which executive director for research and development Vladimir Molchanov participated the necessity of nuclear fuel cycle development was declared. In particular, economic expediency of widening partnership in the field of fuel fabrication for Ukrainian NPPs. V. Konstantinov stressed that a longstanding collaboration between nuclear experts of both countries is a good basis for cooperation between enterprises of Russia and Ukraine.

JSC TVEL supplies fuel for all Ukrainian NPPs per long-term contract with GP NAEK Energoatom. Practically all Ukrainian VVER-1000 power units have been transferred to upgraded fuel TVSA operation. Cooperation between TVEL and NAEK Energoatom includes the use of Ukrainian uranium and zirconium in fuel fabrication, implementation of measures to increase reliability and safety of nuclear fuel operation in power units’ cores, and also substantiation of pilot power unit operation in daily power adjustment mode.

Currently, a preparation to expanding of cooperation in VVER-1000 TVSA elements fabrication is under way. Coordination of terms of establishment in Ukraine of a respective production have been finished. JSC TVEL prepared and handed over to the Ukrainian Party the necessary contract documents. Ukraine provides zirconium concentrate mining, zirconium tetra fluoride supplies and in future can participate in fuel rod tubes and fuel assembly’s element fabrication.

Ukraine has sufficient raw materials (GP Volnogorsky GMK) and a pilot nuclear grade zirconium alloy production in GNPP Zirconium. Besides the country possesses uranium deposits and has a nuclear industry engineering complex, scientific research and design institutes. This makes significant potential for cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle which is enforced by multiple production ties formed in the past.

Within the frames of the press-tour Ukrainian journalists visited Mashinostroitelny Zavod (Electrostal, Moscow Region) and RRC Kurchatovsky Institute.