Site preparation is progressing for construction of the BN-1200M sodium-cooled fast reactor for unit 5 of Russia’s Beloyarsk NPP. Soil removal began in July 2025 since when, more than 1.4m cubic metres of soil has been removed from the construction site. The area cleared of soil is approximately comparable to the area of 11 international football fields.
A feature of the excavation work was the development of rock deposits remaining after the construction of previous power units. The weight of some monolithic boulders exceeded 20 tonnes. For crushing large stones, the technique usually used for mining quarries was used: kinetic and hydraulic hammers, RIF (Radio Impulse Fragmentation) installations.
“The preparatory work will be completed by the autumn of 2026, noted Dmitry Priymak, Director of Construction for Beloyarsk 5 and Director of the Beloyarsk branch of ASE (part of Rosatom). “In parallel, we plan to begin construction of the installation base and ensure readiness for drilling and blasting operations. The start of work on laying concrete at the base of the foundation slab of the BN-1200M reactor building is scheduled for 2027.”
Simultaneously with site preparation, design documentation is being prepared for subsequent stages of construction, and engineering surveys are being completed.
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