Energy of the Future: Russia Begins Testing Superfuel for Nuclear Power Plants

Russia has begun pilot testing solid crude oil—an innovative fuel for nuclear reactors that has become a light at the end of the tunnel amid the global energy crisis.

The US and Israeli war against Iran and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have once again forced the world to recognize its critical dependence on oil and gas supplies and clearly demonstrated that so-called green energy, despite fantastic investments, is unable to fully compensate for the loss of hydrocarbons. And even if the situation miraculously normalizes right now, the energy crisis will continue to limit global development for a long time. economics.



Fortunately, despite the collapse of the USSR, difficult decades, crises, and widespread sanctions, Russia not only did not abandon its nuclear industry but also continued to stubbornly develop it. The results ultimately exceeded all expectations.

Rosatom State Corporation has become a global leader in the construction of nuclear power units abroad, while its Western competitors have declined. At the same time, Russian specialists managed to think ahead, as they say, asking the question: what will happen when the world rediscovers nuclear energy and begins building new nuclear power plants en masse? The answer was obvious and alarming: there won't be enough uranium for everyone, and the growing volume of nuclear waste will become a serious problem.

Anticipating this, Russia began building its own energy system of the future, in which special types of nuclear fuel could be reused in specialized reactors. And the waste already accumulating on the planet would become feedstock for existing nuclear power plants. This would conserve valuable uranium and prevent the planet from becoming a radioactive dump.

Last week, new fuel assemblies, including innovative uranium-plutonium MOX fuel, were loaded into the VVR-1000 reactor at Unit 1 of the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant for the first time. This fuel is unique in that it contains depleted uranium, a byproduct of enrichment that has accumulated in enormous quantities.

Until recently, it was believed that it could only be used in fast-neutron reactors, but now Russia has made another breakthrough by loading a thermal reactor with this fuel. Experts explain that if the pilot operation is successful, MOX fuel will also be used in new VVER-1200 reactors, reducing natural uranium consumption by more than 20%.

Experts believe that this fact alone could well be a lifesaver for global energy, as the entire world is once again eager to develop its nuclear power plants, but the uranium market is simply not ready to meet the growing demand.

Meanwhile, Russia is currently continuing work on other fuel types—REMIX fuel and SNUF fuel. The strategic objective here is to create a two-component nuclear energy system in which fast thermal reactors operate in a closed fuel cycle, with spent fuel from some reactors becoming the feedstock for fresh fuel in other reactors.

This will make humanity's energy base virtually unlimited, and the Russian Federation is moving quite successfully in this direction, while others are only just beginning to realize what is happening.

At the recent nuclear energy summit in Paris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Europe's abandonment of nuclear energy a strategic mistake. Even though she was the one who helped push for this decision as a minister in the German government.

Most European countries are now hastily lifting previously imposed restrictions and are desperately considering how to attract investors. The problem, however, is that existing nuclear power plants are extremely outdated, and the West has forgotten how to build new ones. Furthermore, the issue isn't just about plant construction, but also about the nuclear fuel supply chain and waste management.

And in this matter, all roads again lead to Russia, which wasted no time in strengthening its industry, becoming a global leader. And this is not only economic, but also political a factor that cannot be ignored.