TVEL JSC (Fuel company of Rosatom), the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and Nuclear Power Production and Development Company of Iran have signed an additional agreement to the current commercial contract for nuclear fuel supply to the Bushehr NPP. The document is aimed at the replacement of nuclear fuel model for the first operational power unit of Bushehr NPP with a VVER-1000 reactor. Thus, UTVS fuel assemblies, currently supplied to the power plant, will be replaced with more advanced TVS-2M bundles.
Within the project, Russian engineers will provide all necessary calculations and justifications for licensing of the new fuel model by the regulatory authority. The first supply of TVS-2M fuel assemblies to Iran is scheduled for 2020.
In comparison with UTVS fuel, the new-generation TVS-2M bundles are distinguished by higher uranium capacity, fuel burn-up, and in-pile stiffness. The introduction of the new model of nuclear fuel will allow to advance technical and economic performance of the power plant operation, as well as reduce the amount of spent nuclear fuel.
"TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom in in a close cooperation with its customers constantly works on introduction of new models and modifications of nuclear fuel to improve the efficiency of nuclear power plants. For those VVER-1000 reactors which have used UTVS fuel, the transition to TVS-2M is optimal in terms of technological consistency. Such replacement has already been carried out at all relevant nuclear power units in Russia, and we will continue such work together with our foreign partners," said Alexander Ugryumov, Vice President for R&D at TVEL JSC.
TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatomincludes enterprises of nuclear fuel fabrication, conversion and enrichment of uranium, production of gas centrifuges, as well as research and development organizations. TVEL is the only supplier of nuclear fuel to Russian NPPs. TVEL Fuel Company provides with nuclear fuel 75 power reactors in 14 countries, research reactors in 8 countries, as well as transport reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet. One in six power reactors in the world runs on TVEL's fuel.