Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom’s fuel arm TVEL has won a tender from Brazilian company Eletronuclear to supply more than 100 kg of lithium-7 hydroxide for use in the cooling system of the Angra nuclear power plant (NPP) in Brazil.
A Rosatom statement earlier this week said that once the contract is signed, the lithium-7 hydroxide will be supplied by TVEL subsidiary, the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, by the end of 2023.
The statement said that lithium-7 is used as an additive in the primary coolant of pressurised water reactors (PWRs) to improve water-chemistry conditions. It is also used in the manufacture of chemical reagents for nuclear power engineering, and as a basic component for preparation of nuclear grade ion-exchange membranes which are used in PWR coolant water treatment facilities, the statement added.
“The Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant has more than 60 years of long expertise in production of various lithium compounds. The enterprise has a modern high-tech production facility which ensures a high degree of chemical purity in accordance with customer requirements,” TVEL’s Director of the Special Chemicals Business Unit, Mikhail Metelkin, said in a statement.
The Angra NPP is the only operating nuclear power plant in Brazil, located in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro. It has two operating PWR units with a total capacity of 1,884 MW, and another unit under construction. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its annual electricity generation is about 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh).
