The government of the Sverdlovsk region of Russia has approved the construction of the country's first BN-1200 fast reactor at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant. The unit will be built to replace the existing smaller BN-600 reactor at the plant, which is scheduled to be shut down by 2020.
Approval for the construction of the fifth unit at Beloyarsk came during a sitting yesterday of the Sverdlovsk government. Vladimir Vlasov, prime minister of the region, said that the decision will make a significant contribution to the sustainable social and economic development of the region. 'The generation of power is very important and timely. Nuclear energy is one of the cheapest forms,' he said.
The government said that the planned 1200 MWe unit will produce around 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and help avoid the emission of "millions of tonnes" of carbon dioxide. In addition, it would completely remove the region's need to import fossil fuels. With a 60-year operating life, the reactor is expected to have an annual capacity factor of at least 90%.
The technical design of the BN-1200 is scheduled for completion by 2013, while the manufacture of equipment will start in 2014. Construction of the Beloyarsk unit is set to begin in 2015.
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