Rosatom Completes First Stage of Concrete Pouring for BREST Reactor Core Cavity

TVEL Fuel Company, a subsidiary of Rosatom, has announced that the future innovative nuclear power unit "BREST-OD-300," located in Seversk, Tomsk Oblast, has successfully completed the first stage of concrete pouring for the reactor core inner cavity.

The reactor is located at the site of the Generation IV Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK) within the Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC) area, and is a core component of Russia's national strategic industry project "Proryv (Breakthrough)." The report noted that concrete pouring for the reactor body will proceed in multiple stages, with full completion expected in the winter of 2027, by which time the total amount of heat-resistant concrete used will exceed 7,000 cubic meters.

The BREST-OD-300 reactor adopts an integrated layout design. Unlike the common VVER pressurized water reactor's monolithic metal structure, this reactor body uses a metal-concrete composite structure, with internal metal cavities designed to accommodate the core and primary circuit equipment. The spaces between these cavities will be filled with concrete in stages, so that the concrete not only serves as part of the load-bearing structure but also performs thermal and radiation shielding functions.

Dmitry Zozulya, Director of the SCC Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK), stated: "This reactor body design has no precedent in international nuclear power practice. The integrated layout of BREST-OD-300 gives it extremely high inherent safety and reliability."

The "Proryv" project is a key strategy of Rosatom, bringing together multiple future nuclear technologies, including a nuclear fuel fabrication module, a power generation unit equipped with the innovative BREST-OD-300 reactor, and a spent fuel reprocessing module. The construction of this complex marks the birth of the world's first nuclear power plant integrating a fast reactor and on-site closed nuclear fuel cycle.

Generation IV Nuclear Power Systems (G4NPS) is a new type of nuclear power system in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) classification, aimed at significantly enhancing nuclear safety, expanding fuel options, and reducing nuclear waste generation through technological innovation. As a leading developer of G4NPS technology, Russia is actively promoting the research, development, and application of related technologies.