Russia Announces Closed Energy Cycle Nuclear Power Breakthrough

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has announced a global game-changing nuclear power breakthrough, a closed fuel cycle power system to tackle global uranium shortages. This system allows for virtually no nuclear waste. A conventional Nuclear Power Plant uses 0.7% of uranium, leaving 99.3% waste. Russia’s new closed cycle reactor reuses the waste, making uranium fuel last for thousands of years.

Rosatom’s fast reactor BREST-OD-300 will run on uranium-238 and convert it into reusable plutonium-239. It is the world’s only сlosed-cycle nuclear system entering production and able to be used as an industrial energy resource.

Alexander Uvarov, a director of Russia’s AtomInfo-Center said that “President Putin has set 2030 as the launch date for the system, but think it will be put into operation even earlier.”

Alexey Anpilogov, a political scientist and an expert in nuclear energy, explained how the closed system works by saying “If you load 1 kg of uranium into such a reactor, you’ll not only get electricity and heat, but also produce more than 1 kg of new plutonium.”

Russia’s system will also burn highly radioactive elements, such as cesium and strontium — known for causing severe radioactive contamination. These particles are what caused the most radiation damage after the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

Additionally, it has a lead coolant, which makes it safer than other reactors as it is more radiation-resistant, has a high boiling point and is inert to water and air.

Anpilogov says that Russia does not have competition in this field at present. “The United States, Japan, and France have tried closed fuel cycles and built sodium-cooled reactors, but none have achieved a reliable, sustainable design like Russia’s.”

The new design will be useful for Russia but also for export, especially to emerging countries that require energy to realise their potential. This includes the BRICS countries. Russia’s state-owned nuclear power operator for example, actively cooperates with India and China, both of which have huge plans for nuclear energy.

For further news on Russia’s global nuclear energy sector, please click here for a breakdown of existing and pending projects.