Bellona nuclear digest. July 2024
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
News
Rossiya refuelling its reactors
Publish date: December 15, 1998
Written by: Thomas Nilsen
Shortcuts on this page
News
Rossiya refuelling its reactors
The nuclear powered icebreaker Rossiya will refuel its two reactors this week. The operation takes place at Atomflot in Murmansk. Ten years ago, there was a serious incident during a similar refuelling operation on Rossiya.
The refuelling of the two reactors onboard Rossiya is scheduled to take a week. The fuel assemblies will be transferred from the reactors to storage casks onboard the service ship Imandra at the nuclear powered icebreaker fleet’s service base Atomflot, just north of Murmansk. Each of the two reactor cores consists of 241 fuel assemblies. Imandra has six storage sections. Each section contains 50 storage containers, each of which has room for five fuel assemblies.
Refuelling takes place some every third or fourth year. In November 1988, a serious incident happened during refuelling of Rossiya. The incident involved one of the two reactors, and according to the Russian Magazine Vodny Transport, a reactor meltdown was narrowly avoided. The exact cause of the incident is not clear. The nuclear-powered icebreaker Rossiya has been in normal operation since.
More News
All news
Bellona urges Norway’s Prime Minister to not support Northern Sea Route development
Transport on the Northern Sea Route is not sustainable, and Kirkenes must not become a potential hub for transport along the Siberian coast. Bellona believes this is an important message Norway should deliver in connection with the Prime Minister's visit to China. In an open letter to Jonas Gahr Støre, Bellona asks the Prime Minister to make it clear that the Chinese must stop shipping traffic through the Northeast Passage.
IAEA issues report on war-ravaged Ukrainian nuclear plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency has published a new report on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, with the agency’s director-general warning that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station remains “precarious and very fragile.”
Monthly Highlights from the Russian Arctic, July 2024
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.