Safe and Alternative VVER European Fuel

ongoing

The security of supply of VVER nuclear fuel has become and will remain of vital importance in countries operating VVER-type reactors, and due to the strongly interconnected European grid network, this is also instrumental for Europe as a whole. The aim of SAVE project is to strengthen VVER fuel security of supply in Europe and Ukraine by qualifying a reliable and safer sovereign VVER-440 fuel design, by developing a fast-track licensing path and improving European capabilities for VVER-440 fuel design qualification. Through a strong European collaboration, a large qualification campaign will be performed within European test facilities to assess the performance of the new, safer and sovereign VVER-440 fuel assembly design. SAVE will prepare in-reactor qualification with mutualised LFAs (Lead Fuel Assemblies) programs, which will significantly accelerate design readiness for fuel reloads. SAVE will also define the plans to enable fully European manufacturing route and address the needs on Core Monitoring Systems, to initiate the next steps of development. To contribute to these objectives and increase the security of supply in Europe, the SAVE project is gathering 17 partners from 8 European countries, within a consortium composed of experienced and highly qualified European actors in nuclear fuel and VVER technologies, including nuclear utilities, TSOs, research entities, leading industrial actors and universities.