UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 19, 2016. The fast-fission reactor BN-800-based Power-Generating Unit 4 ran at 100% of its capacity for the first time at Beloyarskaya Nuclear Power Plant, Sverdlovsk Region. The reactor is expected to serve as a prototype for the more powerful commercial reactors in the future, Rosenergoatom’s website states.

‘This means the power-generating unit is now being thoroughly tested at its entire projected capacity. This is the main and the final proviso the unit has to meet before it can actually be launched in the operation and maintenance phase. During the next fifteen-day trial run, it has to be proven that the unit can operate at full capacity in absolute compliance with its projected parameters,’ the website states.

Once the trial runs are over, a compliance certificate needs to be obtained from Rostechnadzor.

The power-generating unit is expected to embark on the O&M phase in the fall. The very first trial-mode kilowatt-hours were produced by the unit as early as last December.

The unit has produced over 1.3bn kilowatt-hours since the start of 2016; this figure is expected to reach 3.5bn by the end of the year.