A fire broke out on 14 February at the construction site of a new reactor under construction at Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom’s PA Mayak complex in Ozersk, local media reported. The incident was officially reported to the Rosatom leadership. Construction of the research reactor began with the pouring of first concrete in late 2018. When design work began in 2015, the reactor site was handed over to the contractor, FSUE Eleron, and the State Construction Supervision Authority subsequently issued instructions related to the elimination of fire safety violations, according to the press reports. There was no significant damage resulting from the fire.
Mayak includes facilities for reprocessing used fuel and for the production of a wide range of isotopes. The new multi-functional research reactor is scheduled for launch in 2023. It will replace the light-water Ruslan (which began operating in 1979) and the heavy water Lyudmila (which began in 1988). Both reactors have unique neutron-physics characteristics which make possible the production of a wide range of radioactive isotopes for military and civilian purposes.
