The European Union (EU) has launched a new initiative to accelerate the development and delivery of European fuel for the VVER pressurised water reactors operating in Europe. Nineteen VVER reactors are currently in operation in Europe, including four VVER 1,000 MW reactors in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and 15 VVER 440 MW reactors in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia.
The past several years has seen growing pressure from the EU for member states to diversify away from the use of Russian-supplied fuel. While the VVER-1000 units are already using or preparing to use Western made fuel produced either by US Westinghouse or France’s Framatome, VVER-440 fuel is still being developed. The EU already been supporting Westinghouse in this endeavour.
Westinghouse Electric Sweden has been leading the Accelerated Programme for Implementation of Secure VVER Fuel Supply (APIS), which was launched in January 2023. The following July the EU selected a consortium led by Westinghouse to develop and deliver a secure, fully European nuclear fuel supply for Russian-designed VVERs. The three-year APIS project is co-funded by the EU, using €10m ($10.9m) from the Euratom Work Programme 2023-2025. APIS, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme for research & innovation, involves 12 partners from eight countries.
These include five NPP operators – ČEZ (Czech Republic), Ukraine’s Energoatom; Fortum (Finland), MVM Paks (Hungary), and Slovenske Elektrarne (Slovakia); two fuel manufacturers – Westinghouse Sweden and Enusa (Spain); and five fuel engineering & research organisations – Joint Research Centre-European Commission (Belgium), State Scientific & Technical Centre for Nuclear & Radiation Safety (Ukraine), ÚJV Rež (Czech Republic), Uppsala University (Sweden) and VUJE (Slovakia).
The new initiative, the Safe & Alternative VVER European Fuel (SAVE) project is funded under the Euratom Research & Training Programme. It will run from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2028 with an overall budget of €18.68m including and EU contribution of around €10m. The aim of SAVE project “is to strengthen VVER fuel security of supply in Europe and Ukraine by qualifying a reliable and safer sovereign VVER-440 fuel design, by developing a fast-track licensing path and improving European capabilities for VVER-440 fuel design qualification”.
A large qualification campaign will be performed within European test facilities to assess the performance of the new, safer and sovereign VVER-440 fuel assembly design. SAVE will prepare in-reactor qualification with mutualised LFAs (Lead Fuel Assemblies) programmes, which will significantly accelerate design readiness for fuel reloads. SAVE “will also define the plans to enable fully European manufacturing route and address the needs on Core Monitoring Systems, to initiate the next steps of development”.
The SAVE project is gathering 17 partners from eight European countries, within “a consortium composed of experienced and highly qualified European actors in nuclear fuel and VVER technologies, including nuclear utilities, TSOs, research entities, leading industrial actors and universities”.
The project is co-ordinated by France’s Framatome with an EU contribution of €1.55m. Other participants include:
- Commissariat à l’énergie Atomique et aux énergies Alternatives (CEA), France, €1.54m;
- MVM Paksi Atomeromu Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag; Hungary, $15,000;
- Budapesti Muszaki Es Gazdasagtudomanyi Egyetem, Hungary, $260,000;
- ČEZ AS,Czechia, $14, 062;
- UJP PRAHA AS, Czechia, €398,750;
- SKODA JS AS, Czechia, €435,875;
- UJV REZ AS, Czechia, €50,593;
- Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus Vtt Oy, Finland, €111,562;
- VUJE AS, Slovakia, €83 625;
- Limited Liability Company Energorisk, Ukraine, €145,625;
- Framatome GMBH, Germany, €5m;
- Slovenske Elektrarne AS, Slovakia, €35,937;
- Hun-Ren Energiatudomanyi Kutatokozpont, Hungary, €61 875;
- Studsvik Scandpower GMBH, Germany, €91,187;
- Fortum Power And Heat Oy, Finland, €98,750,00;
- Abilico AD, Bulgaria, €46,562.
“Framatome welcomes this EU funding, recognising our efforts and supporting the acceleration of our development to contribute to the diversification and security of fuel supply for VVER reactors,” said Lionel Gaiffe, senior executive vice president of the Framatome Fuel Business Unit. “Framatome is the only fuel supplier able to guarantee a 100% sovereign European technology, with a fully European design & product, and manufacturing facilities and a fuel component supply chain located and operated in the EU.”
He added: “Framatome is strongly engaged in supporting both the nuclear industry and the energy policy of the European countries operating VVER reactors and in contributing to the safe, reliable and uninterrupted operation of the existing nuclear fleet and preparing for the next generation of nuclear fuel.”
