Rosatom Completes First Stage of Concrete Pouring for BREST Reactor Core Cavity

en.Wedoany.com Reported - TVEL Fuel Company, a subsidiary of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, has announced that the future innovative nuclear power unit "BREST-OD-300" in Seversk, Tomsk Oblast, has successfully completed the first stage of concrete pouring for the reactor core's internal cavity.

The reactor is located at the site of the Generation IV Experimental Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK) within the Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC) area, and is a core component of Russia's national strategic industry project "Proryv" (Breakthrough). According to the announcement, concrete pouring for the reactor proper will proceed in multiple stages and is expected to be fully completed by the winter of 2027, by which time the total amount of heat-resistant concrete used will exceed 7,000 cubic meters.

The BREST-OD-300 reactor adopts an integrated layout design. Unlike the monolithic metal structure of conventional VVER pressurized water reactors, the reactor proper uses a metal-concrete composite structure, with metal cavities inside to accommodate the core and primary circuit equipment. The spaces between these cavities will be filled with concrete in stages, so that the concrete not only serves as part of the load-bearing structure but also performs thermal and radiation shielding functions.

Dmitry Zozulya, Director of the SCC Experimental Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK), said: "This reactor design has no precedent in international nuclear power practice. The integrated layout of the BREST-OD-300 gives it extremely high inherent safety and reliability."

The "Proryv" project is a key strategic initiative of Rosatom, bringing together multiple future nuclear technologies, including a nuclear fuel fabrication module, a power generation unit equipped with the innovative BREST-OD-300 reactor, and a spent fuel reprocessing module. The construction of this complex marks the birth of the world's first nuclear power plant integrating a fast reactor and an on-site closed nuclear fuel cycle.

The Generation IV Nuclear Power System (G4NPS) is a new type of nuclear power system in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) classification, designed to significantly enhance nuclear safety, expand fuel options, and reduce nuclear waste generation through technological innovation. As a leading developer of G4NPS technology, Russia is actively promoting the research, development, and application of related technologies.