Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has approved a 15-year life extension to 2040 for the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant’s unit 3, a BN-600 fast neutron reactor.
It follows a comprehensive assessment of the condition of the unit – including the reactor vessel and internal elements and heat exchanger supports – which concluded that the “equipment fully complies with all modern safety standards”. The extension to 2040 will take it to 60 years of operation.
A large-scale modernisation programme began in 2009 which included the installation of a second reactor emergency protection system, an emergency dampening system using an air heat exchanger and a back-up reactor control panel. That allowed an extension for 10 and then a further five years to 2025. Further work has been carried out, including the replacement of steam generators and circulating pumps of the first reactor circuit as part of the further 15-year extension process.
The nuclear power plant operates units with fast neutron reactors with sodium coolants – the BN-600 and BN-800. The life extension will mean the unit can generate an extra 60 billion kWh of electricity.