Russia, Belarus Signs World’s First Balanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle Deal

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has signed the world’s first contract for a balanced nuclear fuel cycle (BNFC) with Belarus.

The document was finalized on the sidelines of the World Atomic Week (WAW) international forum, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

The contract was signed between the Belarusian NPP and JSC Techsnabexport (part of the Rosatom state corporation) to ensure the safe management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Belarusian NPP. The contract covers the entire design life of the Belarusian NPP and includes both the obligations of Russian enterprises to accept SNF for reprocessing and the obligations of Belarusian enterprises to accept the SNF reprocessing products.

This contract is a key milestone in the development of bilateral relations between the countries in the nuclear energy sector and the world's first commercial agreement implementing the concept of a balanced nuclear fuel cycle for spent nuclear fuel management from VVER nuclear power plants. In accordance with the SBNFC concept, the services provided to the Belarusian NPP will eliminate the need for complex and expensive deep disposal facilities for radioactive waste from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing in the Republic of Belarus, as well as enable the use of recycled nuclear materials in the nuclear fuel cycle.

The Belarusian NPP is the first nuclear power plant in the Republic of Belarus, built with Russian assistance. It was commissioned in November 2023 (the first unit was commissioned in June 2021), and has generated over 50 GW of electricity to date.