A major milestone has been achieved at Unit 6 of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Russia, where a batch of fifth-generation nuclear fuel assemblies, known as TVS-5, has been loaded into the VVER-1200 reactor core for the first time. The loading took place during a scheduled maintenance shutdown and marks the beginning of pilot operations that will span three 18-month fuel cycles.
Manufactured by the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, part of Rosatom's Fuel Division, the new fuel bundles are designed for fully automated fabrication 鈥� a critical step towards scaling up the industrial production of uranium-plutonium fuel for VVER reactors. This advancement supports Russia鈥檚 broader strategy of transitioning to a dual-component nuclear power system that integrates both thermal and fast neutron reactors, and implements a closed nuclear fuel cycle.
Alexander Ugryumov, Senior Vice President for R&D at TVEL, the head company of Rosatom鈥檚 Fuel Division, highlighted the significance of the development: 鈥淭he use of regenerated nuclear materials in thermal reactors is essential for closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Industrial-scale automated production is required, similar to fast reactor fuel manufacturing. TVS-5 at Novovoronezh is a critical step toward validating this process.鈥�
The pilot phase will use the new TVS-5 bundles with a conventional uranium dioxide matrix enriched with uranium. The project is being conducted under the regulatory supervision of Rostechnadzor, the Russian national nuclear authority.
Vladimir Povarov, Director of Novovoronezh NPP, said: 鈥淟oading this fifth-generation fuel confirms our role as a hub for advanced nuclear technologies. This step is crucial in closing the fuel cycle and supports Rosatom鈥檚 strategic initiatives, contributing to the future of Russia鈥檚 nuclear power sector.鈥�
The VVER series of thermal light-water reactors form the backbone of Russia鈥檚 nuclear fleet and are also widely deployed in nuclear power stations abroad that are built to Russian design specifications.
Russia鈥檚 long-term nuclear development roadmap centres around a dual-component model. This includes using fast reactors to convert spent fuel into fresh uranium-plutonium fuel, closing the loop on the nuclear fuel cycle. As fast reactors are deployed more broadly, a balanced and sustainable circulation of nuclear materials between fast and thermal reactors is expected. The introduction of TVS-5 is seen as a key technical and strategic enabler of this closed-cycle approach.
