April 24, 2015. Beloyarskaya Nuclear Power Plant’s Power Generating Unit 3 was stopped for scheduled repairs till May 27, 2015. This is the world’s only power-generating unit with a fast-fission reactor that produces electric power on an industrial scale. The unit has generated nearly 135bn kilowatt-hours of electric power in the last thirty-five years and is now responsible for 10% of power output in Sverdlovsk Region.

Says Deputy Chief Engineer for Repairs Vladimir Zenitz: ‘The repairs are in full swing; the unit undergoes a wide variety of repair operations every four years; every specific job is strictly regulated by the equipment manufacturers and our maintenance experience. We are currently doing all the necessary jobs at the reactor machinery and steam generation departments as well as at the turbine island where all the turbines and pumps are being repaired.’

According to Zenitz, the main task is to restore the equipment’s original capacity to make sure the power-generating unit can operate trouble-free until the next overhaul.

‘The estimated lifespan for our BN 600 is through 2025, but we are already taking steps to ensure a longer service life,’ he says.