Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has approved the general plan for electric power facilities to 2042. Unit 5 at the Beloyarsk NPP, which is to have a new-design BN-1200M sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor was included as one of the facilities planned for construction.
“Preparatory work for the construction unit 5 will begin in 2025,” said Ivan Sidorov, director of the Beloyarsk NPP. “During this period, it is necessary to complete preparations for the first concrete in 2027. The selection of contracting organisations for the work will be carried out by JSC Atomstroyexport. Priority will be given to local companies from the Sverdlovsk region.”
The service life of the BN-1200M power unit will be at least 60 years. The project uses technical solutions that have proven themselves during the operation of predecessor fast reactor power units – the BN-600 (Beloyarsk 3) and the BN-800 (Beloyarsk 4). Justification of structural materials and fuel for the BN-1200M is carried out based on the work of the BN-600.
The BN-1200M will include a number of innovations. It will have four liquid sodium circulation loops compared with three for the BN-600 and BN-800. The volume of in-reactor storage will increase in to enable fuel assemblies to be unloaded from the reactor directly into the cooling pool, eliminating the need for intermediate drums for used fuel assemblies. The turbine condensers will be cooled by an evaporative cooling tower.
By 2034, the Beloyarsk NPP will be able to annually produce more than 20TWh – more than double the needs of Yekaterinburg.
