In Siberia, they are beginning to build the first complex in the history of mankind with a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Russian scientists have found a way to get endless energy.
"Breakthrough" - this is the name of the project - is not just a new reactor, but a whole factory for waste-free energy production. A special module creates nuclear fuel, then it enters the Brest-OD-300 power unit using fast neutrons, and after reprocessing, the same fuel is returned back to the reactor, and again in a circle.
BREST is a prototype. Its approximate cost is 100 billion rubles, but the cost of energy production will be much lower than at conventional nuclear power plants.
With regard to safety, Breakthrough solves the problem of waste disposal. Now they simply do not need to be accumulated, because the spent fuel will be used again. In addition, the coolant in the reactor was replaced. It has no sodium, only lead, which has a high boiling point. That is, as experts say, the likelihood of any serious accident is negligible.
Rostatom, together with partners, will complete the breakthrough by 2030. BREST's capacity of 300 megawatts is relatively small, but this is just the beginning. After the prototype shows its effectiveness, similar or more powerful reactors will begin to be built throughout Russia.
