On 30 July, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin approved, in principle, the federal target programme “Nuclear Power Technologies of New Generation for 2010-2015 and until 2020.” Rosatom has been charged to draft the programme.
During the first stage (2010-2014) it is expected that Russia will develop designs for fast neutron reactors with lead, lead-bismuth and sodium coolants and start up process complexes to fabricate uranium-plutonium oxide fuel for fast neutron reactors.
Also during this period a detailed design will be developed of a multi-purpose fast neutron research reactor, with a neutrino detector for reactor core diagnostics and a facility to produce dispersed composite materials for reactor applications.
The second stage (2015-2020) includes plans to build pilot demonstration lead- and lead-bismuth-cooled fast reactors, as well as a fast neutron research reactor MBIR (to replace existing research reactors which have exhausted their service lives).
New nuclear facilities will also be commissioned including an industrial complex for the fabrication of fuel for fast reactors and a pilot facility to demonstrate closed fuel cycle technologies. Russia’s nuclear fusion research facilities will also be upgraded by 2020 and a thermonuclear complex is to be built.
According to documents, programme financing in 2010-2015 and until 2020 is estimated at RUB128.3 billion. Of this amount, RUB110.4 billion will be allocated from the federal budget with RUB51 billion to be spent on research and development and RUB59.4 billion on capital investments.
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