Russia approves construction of 150 Megawatt MBIR fast reactor

Russia has given the financial and regulatory go ahead to build the multi-purpose fast neutron reactor (MBIR) The total, fully equipped cost is estimated to be $1 billion. Of that, the Russian budget has already provided $300 million. MBIR will use vibropacked mixed-oxide (VMOX) fuel, a Russian variant for MOX fuel production, in which blended (U, Pu) O2 and UO2 powders are loaded and compressed directly into the cladding tube. The VMOX for MBIR will have a plutonium content of 38%.

The design for the MBIR was finalized earlier in the year.

Picture from 2010 IAEA presentation on the MBIR reactor

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