News

Russian nuclear reactor equipment company boosting output

Publish date: March 10, 2009

Russian heavy equipment manufacturer ZiO-Podolsk is increasing capacity to be able to produce four nuclear equipment sets per year, World Nuclear News, a nuclear industry publication, reported.

The company is reported to be on target to complete the reactor pressure vessel for the BN-800 fast reactor at Beloyarsk early next year – in time for commercial operation in 2012, according to a Nuclear.Ru report.

It is investing 2.9 billion roubles ($83 million) by 2015, with 1 billion roubles ($28.5 million) of that to come by the end of 2009. The company is also making steam generators for new nuclear power plants plants at Novovoronezh, Kalinin 4 and Leningrad.

Since 2006,  ZiO-Podolsk has been a 51 percent -owned subsidiary of Atomenergomash, with the remainder owned 25 percent by Renova Group and 24 percent by EMAlliance, WWN said.

The BN-800 reactor pressure vessel is 13 metres in diameter, and a unique 16-meter rotary-table milling machine is needed to manufacture it. Steel for the component has been sourced from South Korea, WNN reported.

Separately, Power Machines’ Kaluga Turbine Plant is to make a share offer worth 780 million roubles  ($2.2 million) to help fund an investment program worth over 1.2 billion roubles ($2.2 million) to 2012.

By that date, reports WWN, the facility managers are aiming to double output of steam turbines after purchasing manufacturing equipment from Italy, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.