TVEL inks fuel supply contract for Xudabao units

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

The contract was signed with China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation, CNNP Liaoning Nuclear Power and CNNP Suneng Nuclear Power, which are all subsidiaries of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Its signing was coordinated by Rusatom Overseas, another Rosatom subsidiary.

The fuel contract for the two new Russian-design VVER-1200 reactors includes supplies for the first core as well as for several further refuellings, TVEL said today. In July, TVEL signed a contract for nuclear fuel supply to the similar VVER-1200 units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province.

"Over the years, Rosatom and CNNC have been developing a strategic partnership embracing the nuclear fuel cycle as well," TVEL President Natalia Nikipelova said.

"This includes not only fuel supplies to VVER reactors, but also a comprehensive industrial cooperation with the manufacture of Russian-design nuclear fuel in China. TVEL is providing technological development for the localisation of VVER fuel manufacturing in the Yibin fuel plant, the introduction of longer fuel cycles at China's VVER nuclear power units and is helping to develop fuel for China’s fast neutron reactors. These projects are being accomplished in accordance with intergovernmental agreements and lay the foundation for our long-time cooperation for decades to come," she said.

Evgeny Pakermanov, president of Rusatom Overseas, added: "Together with our Chinese partners, we have come long way in working out whole packages of contracts for the Tianwan NPP and Xudapu NPP projects, as well as for the CFR-600 fast neutron reactor. We have already achieved progress with these projects and are now negotiating several new joint projects with our Chinese partners."

The value of the contract and volumes of the fuel supplies were not disclosed.