site.btaNuclear Regulator Receives All Necessary Documents for Issuance of Permit to Use Westinghouse's Fuel for Kozloduy NPP Unit 5

The Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) Wednesday received all the necessary documents for the issuance of a permit for a phased transition of Kozloduy NPP Unit 5 to operation with a new type of RWFA nuclear fuel produced by Westinghouse, NRA head Tsanko Bachiiski told BTA on Thursday.

The documentary procedure should be completed by March 2024, Bachiiski said. 

He noted that the NRA had signed contracts with the French Institute for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (IRSN) and a Czech-Ukrainian consortium to provide external expertise on selected safety analysis reports for the licensing of the new nuclear fuel, which means that the NRA will coordinate with them as well, the NRA Chairman said. 

IRSN will provide expertise on a total of 20 reports, which cover safety analyses related to the entire life cycle of the fuel, namely: mechanical, hydraulic and thermo-mechanical design of the RWFA nuclear fuel; analysis of the fuel characteristics in the event of accidents; nuclear safety in transport-technological operations and nuclear fuel storage. The Czech-Ukrainian consortium will provide expertise on the compatibility report of the new nuclear fuel with the internal reactor control system of Kozloduy NPP Unit 5.