On July 19-20, a delegation of the Permanent Representatives of foreign countries to the International Organizations in Vienna visited Russian nuclear industry enterprises – Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant and Ural Electrochemical Integrated Plant.
The list of the visiting participants included 18 senior diplomats representing Argentina, Belgium, China, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Sudan, Switzerland, The Netherlands, The State of Israel and two international organizations – the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Within the first day of the program the foreign diplomats visited Ural Electrochemical Integrated Plant, the world’s largest enterprise on uranium enrichment (UEIP is part of Rosatom’s TVEL fuel company). The participants saw the entire production chain of uranium enrichment being one of the most important parts of the nuclear fuel cycle of Rosatom.
During the round table held at UEIP, Russia’s permanent representative to the IAEA Vladimir Voronkov, said that it was a record-breaking delegation of foreign diplomats in Russia, which meant that interest to the Russian nuclear industry was increasing in the world each year.
According to Rafael Mariano Grossi, Argentina’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, the participants within the visit to the UEIP “have seen an outstanding facility for uranium enrichment, which I think is rather unique in the world”.
“What is really interesting is to see the excellent facilities that you have, the technological degree of excellence that Russia and Rosatom have acquired through the years and now it is open to international cooperation”, the diplomat said.
On July 20, the foreign delegation visited the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant, where participants learnt about Russian operational experience of fast breeder reactors. The guests visited the new, innovative 4th unit of Beloyarsk NPP – BN-800 – the most powerful sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor in the world.
During the NPP visit, the foreign representatives participated at the round-table. They were told about nuclear power technologies of the Unit on the basis of closed nuclear fuel cycle and advantages of “fast” energy in the future. Power units on fast neutrons will allow closing nuclear fuel cycle, and, with enlarged reproduction of the nuclear “fuel”, substantially expand the fuel base of nuclear energy, as well as to reduce the volume of nuclear waste by burning up hazardous radionuclides.
The diplomats also visited the 3rd Unit of Beloyarsk NPP with BN-600 reactor, predecessor of BN-800 reactor, that had been successfully operated for more than 30 years. (Rosatom/Business World Magazine)