Russia, US to create alliance to bring Russian fuel to US market

MOSCOW, May 27 /TASS/. Russia and the United States will create a strategic alliance for bringing Russian fuel to the US market, according to the World Nuclear News portal.

"Gobal Nuclear Fuel Americas (GNF-A) and Russian nuclear fuel company TVEL have agreed to work together to introduce Russian-designed pressurized water reactor fuel into the USA. The companies have announced a strategic alliance to introduce lead use assemblies (LUAs) of TVEL's TVS-K fuel design in the USA and to seek licensing approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to supply the fuel in reload quantities," the WNN said.

"GNF-A will provide US-based project management, licensing, quality assurance and engineering services while TVEL will provide TVS-K design expertise, engineering support and initial fabrication of LUAs. Subsequent LUAs are planned to be produced at GNF-A's facility in Wilmington, North Carolina," the portal went on to say.

For the moment, Russia accounts for 17% of the world’s fuel market for nuclear power plants and fully meets the fuel needs of 76 power reactors in Russia and 14 other countries, including Finland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Armenia and China. The company’s annual export volumes exceed 1 billion US dollars.

In September 2012, the Russian State Corporation for Atomic Energy (Rosatom) signed a contract with Swedish Company Vattenfall Nuclear Fuel for the delivery of a pilot batch of Russian TBC-Kvadrat fuel for a power unit at the Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant.