OREANDA-NEWS. October 17, 2007. On the Nuclear Workers’ Day Victor Zubkov, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, visited the oldest enterprise of the Russian nuclear industry – JSC Mashinostroitelny Zavod in the city of Elektrostal. He was taken to main shops, held a meeting with the management and inaugurated a dormitory for young families of the plant workers. During the visit Mr. Zubkov was accompanied by Director of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency of Russia (Rosatom) Sergey Kirienko, Moscow Region Governor Boris Gromov and President of TVEL Corporation Yuri Olenin.

Mr. Zubkov was very pleased with the visit. “I saw a unique enterprise enjoying its highly competent specialists,” he said to media.

During the plant visit Sergey Kirienko said Russia was ready to start supplying nuclear fuel to Western Europe. “The Russian fuel for nuclear power plants is a high quality products and often much better than the Western one. We supply nuclear fuel to Ukraine and Eastern Europe but one needs to approach Western Europe with the fuel design they are using. We want to directly approach the Western utilities,” he said.

The Rosatom’s intend to broaden sales markets of the Russian nuclear fuel was backed also by Russia’s Prime Minister Zubkov. “Russia’s prospects of entering international markets are great. I believe nuclear industry today is enjoying a good rise and competitive in the world market. Many countries invite our specialists and technologies for their nuclear power plants,” he said.

It should be reminded that TVEL Corporation, which incorporates the Mashinostroitelny Zavod, supplies fuel to each sixth nuclear power unit in the world. Since 1994 JSC MSZ has implemented a joint project with Areva NP (previously Siemens/KWU). At present, MSZ features an automated line for fabricating fuel assemblies of a Western design (TVS-Kvadrat). Initially, TVEL-fabricated fuel was supplied to Germany, than the geography expanded to Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The project has framed the release of over 1,500 fuel assemblies of the Western design. No a single leaking fuel rod of these fuel assemblies due to the manufacturer’s deficiency has ever been recorded at Western nuclear power plants.

By present, Areva NP and JSC MSZ have signed contracts (effective until 2020) for fabrication of nuclear fuel for a number of West European nuclear power plants. In May 2007 the TVEL and Areva NP cooperation framed a contract for supply of fuel pellets for Sizewell nuclear power plant in the Great Britain. Thus, this has made the first case of Russia-made fuel components are to be placed in the British reactor. The cooperation expansion between TVEL and western nuclear fuel cycle companies is evidence that the Russian company meets internationally acknowledged standards of corporate management and is a reliable partner for long term.

At present, TVEL Corporation has fabricated fuel assemblies of the Western design and these were engineered by Russian specialists. The first TVS-Kvadrat fuel assemblies were fabricated by the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant and they undergo tests now.