Beloyarsk issued with licence for BN-1200 reactor

Tuesday, 29 April 2025

In June last year JSC Atomenergoproekt and Rosenergoatom - Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom's engineering and power plant operating divisions, respectively - signed a contract to develop design documentation for the construction of the BN-1200 fast sodium reactor.

The sodium-cooled BN-series fast reactor plans are part of Rosatom's project to develop fast reactors with a closed fuel cycle whose mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel will be reprocessed and recycled. In addition to the BN-600 reactor at Beloyarsk unit 3, which began operation in 1980, the 789 MWe BN-800 fast at Beloyarsk unit 4 entered commercial operation in October 2016. This is essentially a demonstration unit for fuel and design features for the larger BN-1200, which will be unit 5 at Beloyarsk.

Rosatom says the service life of the BN-1200 power unit will be at least 60 years. Its design uses technical solutions that have proven themselves in the operation of the BN-600 and BN-800 reactors, but also features innovations. For example, the BN-1200 will have four instead of three loops for the circulation of liquid sodium, like its predecessors; the volume of the in-reactor storage facility will be increased to allow the unloading of fuel assemblies from the reactor directly into the used fuel pool, eliminating the intermediate drum for used assemblies; and the turbine condensers will be cooled using a chimney-type evaporative cooling tower.

The licence was issued after the consideration of a package of documents covering the safety of the power unit and its compliance with technical regulations, federal rules and standards and legislation, Rosatom said.

Atomenergoproekt JSC has also received a positive opinion from the Ministry of Construction's Glavgosexpertiza regarding the technical part of the preparatory period design - a number of surveys were conducted at the construction site which have been recognised as complying with the technical regulations and requirements.

Ivan Sidorov, Director of Beloyarsk NPP, said: "Installation of the prototype serial power unit with BN-1200M reactor at Beloyarsk NPP will make it possible to take another important step towards two-component nuclear power engineering and fully use the ecological and economic advantages of the closed nuclear fuel cycle. The personnel of Beloyarsk NPP has accumulated vast experience in operating the unique BN-600 and BN-800 sodium fast reactors, so it is logical that the prototype BN-1200M will be created here."

Russia's nuclear power plan includes a target date of 2034 for the completion of the construction of Beloyarsk unit 5. The preparatory construction work for the unit is due to start this year, with first concrete scheduled for 2027.