"Rosatom" completed delivery for reactor in Uzbekistan

The fuel division of "Rosatom" has completed a contract for the supply of modified nuclear fuel for the VVR-SM research reactor located at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. The delivery was carried out by the management company JSC "TVEL", and the fuel itself was produced at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant.

The VVR-SM reactor is used for a wide range of scientific and applied tasks - from nuclear physics and radiation materials science to irradiation of minerals and production of radioisotopes for medicine and industry. The new uranium and uranium-silicide fuel has improved characteristics compared to the previously used IRT-4M cassettes. Due to the increased concentration of uranium, the duration of the reactor's fuel campaign is increased.

The delivery became part of a larger cooperation between "Rosatom" and Uzbekistan in the field of peaceful atom. In May 2024, the parties signed a contract for the construction of a small-capacity nuclear power plant with RITM-200N reactors in the Jizzakh region - the world's first export project of this format. At the same time, cooperation continues on radioactive waste management and personnel training: a branch of NRNU MEPhI has been operating in Tashkent since 2019.