Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, an enterprise of Rosatom’s nuclear fuel division has completed the manufacture of nuclear fuel for the initial loading of an under-construction research reactor in Bolivia. The fuel has passed the acceptance tests and will be shipped to Bolivia in 2025.
The first research reactor in El Alto is a part of the Bolivian National Center for Nuclear Research and Technologies. Bolivian Atomic Energy Agency is implementing the project in cooperation with Rosatom.
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Rosatom delivered the reactor vessel which was installed in 2023. It is a pool-type research reactor with a 50-year service life. The nuclear fuel assemblies, developed by Rosatom's engineers, should remain operational even in case of an earthquake with a maximum intensity of 8.7 points on the MSK-64 scale.
“Bolivia is the first South American country to get Russian nuclear fuel supplies. Rosatom has vast experience in the construction of research reactor facilities abroad and traditionally provides them with nuclear fuel throughout their entire service life. The Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant has been producing nuclear fuel and its components for research reactors in various regions of the world for already 50 years,” commented Oleg Grigoriyev, Senior Vice President for Commerce and International Business at TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom.
The BRR-1 research reactor will produce radioisotopes for scientific research. The facility also will be used to study the chemical composition of materials using the neutron activation analysis method, which is in demand in various industries. The method helps scientists to determine the composition of rocks, ores and concentrates, and biological samples, and also to develop programs for efficient use of natural resources and continuous monitoring of the environment. The reactor will also become a base for training students in nuclear studies.
