The Project of Nuclear Fuel Alternative Sources Development

The nuclear power engineering and industry of Ukraine as an unified area has steadily worked since the moment of its basic tasks identification until the present time and its dynamics is positive not only by relative indices but by absolute ones as well.

Table 1. Electricity production at the NPPs of Ukraine

Electricity generation at NPPs	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
billion kWh	75.2	68.9	70.5	79.5	79.4
% of the total electricity production in Ukraine	32.7	34.0	36.4	43.8	44.6

The electricity production in Ukraine as classified by energy carrier as of the end of 1997 was as follows: based on uranium - 44.6 %, carbon - 26.1 %, gas - 21.1 %, oil - 2.6, water - 5.6 %.

The program of energy park development until 2010, elaborated by the Cabinet of Ministers and approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (May, 1996) envisages increase of NPP electricity generation by 37.5 % owing to capacities introducing at the Khmelnitsky NPP (units 2, 3, and 4) and Rivne (unit 4) NPPs.

Up to date, nuclear fuel to 14 operated power units of Ukraine is supplied from Russia.

The Joint Stock Company (JSC) MashZavod (the town of Electrostal’) supplies nuclear fuel to 2 power units VVER-440 of Rivne NPP and to one unit of Chornobyl NPP.

JSC Novosibirsk plant of chemical concentrates (Novosibirsk) supplies nuclear fuel to 11 units VVER-1000 of Zaporizhzhia (6 units), South-Ukrainian (3 units), Khmelnitsky (1 unit) and Rivne (1 unit) NPPs.

Therewith, nuclear power supply during 1994-1998 was implemented by means of nuclear fuel deliveries:

• based on compensation for nuclear warheads of strategic missiles exported from the Ukrainian territory in compliance with three-Parties declaration of the Presidents of Ukraine, Russian Federation and USA on January 14, 1994.
• Under the direct contracts between NPP, the National Nuclear Generating Company EnergoAtom (Ukraine), JSC TVEL (Russia).

Nuclear fuel fabrication by Russian factories for Ukraine is implemented based on cooperation deliveries of materials and spares, produced not only by Russian enterprises, but by Ukrainian and Kazakh ones as well.

For this purpose Ukraine supplies into Russia:

• natural uranium as uranium protoxide-oxide (up to 30% of demand)
• zirconium concentrate (100% of demand)
• boron (100% of demand)
• stainless pipes (100% of demand)

JSC "Ulbinsky metallurgical plant" (Ust’-Kamenogorsk) of Kazakhstan carries out conversion of enriched uranium hexafluoride into uranium dioxide and produces uranium dioxide pellets for reactors VVER and RBMK. All other components of nuclear fuel are fabricated by enterprises of Russia.

Moreover, all scientific & engineering and designing support of nuclear fuel maintenance and improvement is also allocated in Russia.

Taking into account specific weight of nuclear power engineering in the electric power engineering of the country, the national safety reasons dictates a need for creation own nuclear fuel cycle. Therewith, extent of dependence on foreign partners must straightly decrease in course of its creation. That ability also exists in the area of uranium and zirconium natural resources as well as both in area of advanced technologies and in area of research & engineering potential.

A consequence of the analysis of the world prices for nuclear fuel is the fact that the enrichment procedures for uranium-235 isotope are the most expensive (45 %) ones. However, the problem of uranium enrichment technology development and plant erection is unresolvable in Ukraine in the present state of affairs. Therefore, in considering the problem of decreasing an extent of dependence on foreign partners as to nuclear fuel supply to Ukraine, at this stage it is possible to pose the problem of achieving this 45% limit. Under existing condition, an overall elimination of the dependence on nuclear fuel deliveries only is possible in the case of future use of the heavy-water reactors of CANDU type in Ukraine.

The problem of decreasing the dependence on other countries from 90 % to 45 %, corresponding to the up-to-date conditions and opportunities, is solved by the Ministry of Energy, other ministries and departments of the country.

The Complex Program of Nuclear Fuel Cycle (NFC) Creation in Ukraine includes five programs as follows:

The program objective is creation of capacities to cover the total demand of Ukrainian NPPs for natural uranium.

The program envisages:

• geological prospecting on promising uranium deposit;
• keeping the development of Vatutinsky and Michurinsky uranium deposits;
• development of new deposits;
• reconstruction of the hydrometallurgical works;
• upgrade of tailing pond volumes;
• reconstruction of repair-mechanical equipment;
• creation of sites for fabrication of production ensuring a normal operation of mining and reprocessing enterprises.

The program of zirconium alloy feeds fabrication envisages:

• zirconium concentrate production
• zirconium fluoride production
• production of nuclear-grade metallic zirconium and of the alloy on its basis;
• fabrication on zirconium alloy feeds;
• organization of enterprises providing a fabrication of zirconium alloy.

The program envisages updating and reconstruction of productive capacities of the Experimental Plant of the State Piping Institute.

FA for reactors VVER 440 and RBMK-1000 is planned according to the effective scheme from the plant Mashzavod (the town of Electrostal’, Russia).

To meet the needs of nuclear power industry of Ukraine, it is necessary to produce in sight a nuclear fuel for 15 reactors VVER-1000, amount of it is 300 to 350 tons of enriched uranium. To create a joint enterprise for fabrication of fuel assemblies designed for reactors VVER-1000, the Body of State Administration on Nuclear Energy Use (DKA of Ukraine) together with interested ministries and departments has carried out the International Tender to choose a partner.

Westinghouse Company, Combustion Engineering Company and JSC Concern TVEL have taken part in the Tender.

The Tender Committee has considered and awarded the places among the Tender participants as follows:

• the first place - JSC Concern TVEL
• the second place - Westinghouse
• the third place - Combustion Engineering.

According to the decisions approved, production of improved 4-years nuclear fuel under a technology of JSC Concern TVEL will be implemented by the Ukrainian-Kazakh-Russian joint enterprise (the abbreviated name is UKR TVS).

An essential factor in places distribution among the Tender participants were the proposals of JSC Concern TVEL confirmed by the Decree of the Russian Federation’s Government on long-term knockdown costs for nuclear fuel components, in particular, for natural uranium, conversion and enrichment.

The basic benefits of alternative nuclear fuel in comparison with one operated at the present time, will be:

• annual operation lifetime (3 years at the present)
• possibility of power regulation in dependence upon consumption
• demountable assembly configuration.

Scientific, design-engineering and project maintenance of nuclear fuel cycle is implemented by:

• Kharkiv Research & Engineering Center for Nuclear Fuel Materials Science;
• Zhovti Vody Research & Engineering Center
• The State Piping Institute
• Zhovti Vody UkrNIPI of Industrial technology;
• Research & Engineering Center "Cores Designing".

Moreover, leading institutes of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Ministry for Industrial Policy and of other ministries and departments will be involved in solving the problems of creating NFC of Ukraine.

The project of nuclear fuel cycle creation being implemented in Ukraine will enable reducing a dependence on foreign nuclear fuel deliveries to Ukraine from 90 % to 45 %.