Russian nuclear fuel on Swedish market hailed as promising event

TVEL Fuel Company (part of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom) and Vattenfall Nuclear Fuel Company (Sweden) have signed a contract on delivering nuclear fuel of the TVS-K variety to the Ringhals nuclear power plant (part of Vattenfall Group, Sweden). The contract provides for delivering commercial reloads of nuclear fuel assemblies starting 2021. The contract’s implementation will diversify nuclear fuel deliveries for Vattenfall Company. The new fuel will also allow the nuclear power plant operating company to improve the economic performance of its nuclear power plants.

The contract is an important event for the nuclear industry, even a breakthrough, BelTA learned from Sergei Kondratyev, Section Head in the Economic Department of the Energy and Finance Institute Foundation (Russia). Rosatom and Russia traditionally maintain good relations with Finland in nuclear affairs. Rosatom’s position on the Swedish market has never been so strong. “Let me remind you that from the very start the Swedes had their own technologies as well as serious manufacturing cooperation with other Western countries, in particular, the USA. This is why the fact that Rosatom has reached the Swedish market can be described as a good and promising event. Apart from quite tangible financial and economic benefits the fact entails rather massive benefits for Rosatom’s reputation. Sweden’s ecological standards are very serious and its requirements for safety and reliability parameters in the entire power engineering industry, not only nuclear energy, are on par. The choice of Rosatom as a partner indicates that the fuel and the technologies the Russian company offers will pass any tests,” said Sergei Kondratyev.

Eastern and Western Europe countries demonstrate a certain phenomenon in relation to Russia. Despite their more critical attitudes to Russia Western Europe countries are very good at calculating economic benefits. “They are ready to buy our products if they benefit from it. And they do it just like Sweden has just demonstrated,” said Sergei Kondratyev.