OREANDA-NEWS. February 28, 2012. Fuel Company TVEL has signed a contract with Vattenfall Nuclear Fuel АВ (Sweden) for supply of lead fuel assemblies (LFA’s) batch of TVS-K design for Ringhals 3 NPP. The nuclear fuel developed by the leading ROSATOM R&D units is going to be the first of its kind case of licensing Russian nuclear fuel in the Western PWR reactor. The contract provides for qualification of fuel manufacturing in the plant-manufacturer (JSC NCCP, Novosibirsk) and the supply of 4 or 8 LFA’s produced by TVEL to the Swedish utility.

TVS-K design comprises a solid background of many years of experience in development, manufacturing and operation of nuclear fuel in VVER-1000 reactors. In particular, TVS-K design utilizes well-proven in the track-record of VVER-1000 fuel assemblies design solutions related to skeleton and spacing grid, which enable one to improve operational safety of the nuclear fuel in PWR reactors. Modern Russian zirconium-based alloys are used as Structural materials.

Successful implementation of this project would enable Russian fuel vendor to enter new and, to mention, the biggest market of the Western-type reactors, and thus broaden Russian presence in the world nuclear fuel market.