Rosatom has opened its third Russian support reference laboratory in Seversk, Tomsk Oblast, specifically designed to train engineers and personnel for the experimental operation of the Generation IV Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK – Opitno Demonstratsionovo Energo-Kompleksa).
ODEK, part of Russia’s “Proryv” (Breakthrough) project, is being built at the Siberian Chemical Combine (SKhK – Sibirskovo Khimicheskovo Kombinata). It comprises the BREST-OD-300 lead-cooled fast neutron reactor supported by on-site nuclear fuel cycle facilities including a module for fuel fabrication and refabrication and a module for reprocessing and recycling irradiated fuel. The fuel fabrication unit began operation in December 2024.
The new support laboratory will directly address the personnel requirements to form a qualified personnel reserve for the nuclear industry. The facility is situated as close as possible to the ODEK production site in Seversk to provide trainees with streamlined access to real-world operational environments and engineering data.
The Seversk Technological Institute (a branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI) serves as the primary coordinating and methodological hub managing the laboratory. The project was launched via a joint cooperation agreement involving Rosatom, JSC Proryv, the Rosatom Technical Academy SKhK, MEPhI, and Tomsk Polytechnic University.
The reference laboratory follows other training infrastructure milestones at Seversk, including a full-scale BREST-OD-300 simulator that entered operation in July.
The laboratory is the third in Rosatom’s network of reference laboratories. The first was opened at Sirius in Sochi related to automation and robotic systems for high-radiation zones. The second in St Petersburg focuses on computer modelling of NPPs. By the end of 2026, two more sites are planned for radiochemistry (chemical reprocessing, used fuel recycling, and radiopharmaceuticals) and digital solutions (software ecosystems and digital twins). Together, these five sites will create a comprehensive, highly specialised matrix covering every key modern frontier in nuclear engineering.
