OBNINSK (Kaluga region), June 26Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko visited the Leipunsky Physics and Energy Institute (PEI) enterprise of the Rosatom state corporation in Obninsk, where, in particular, he was shown a unique research complex by world standards, necessary for the development of nuclear energy.
Chernyshenko took part in a ceremony held at the IPPE dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the launch of the world's first nuclear power plant in Obninsk and the beginning of global nuclear energy. The event was also attended by Governor of the Kaluga Region Vladislav Shapsha, General Director of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev, President of the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute Mikhail Kovalchuk, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets Anatoly Artamonov. 
Chernyshenko and other honored guests of the ceremony inspected the updated exposition of the “World's First Nuclear Power Plant” memorial complex, according to the website of the Russian government. In particular, he was presented with the central control panel, from which the world's first nuclear power plant was launched on June 26, 1954, and the reactor hall. Also at the memorial complex they showed a new area with an interactive game “Build a Reactor”, where visitors of different ages can get acquainted with the main structural elements of a nuclear reactor in a playful way.
«At the end, an inspection of the operating critical stand BFS-2 took place,» the message says. 
The complex of “fast” physical facilities (FSF) is a unique experimental base for studying the physics of fast neutron nuclear reactors, solving problems of their safety, and more. As nuclear scientists say, the principle of creating detailed models of “fast” reactors at the BFS stands is reminiscent of working with a children’s Lego set — large compositions are assembled from small elements.
The BFS-2 stand is designed for modeling high-power fast neutron reactors. At this stand in 2023, IPPE specialists carried out a successful physical launch of a model of the core of the commercial pilot reactor plant BN-1200M, which is planned to be built as part of the fifth power unit of the Beloyarsk NPP in the Sverdlovsk region. 
This power unit is necessary for the transition of the Russian nuclear power industry to a competitive two-component energy system based on a closed nuclear fuel cycle (CNFC). The idea is to «couple» the operation of traditional VVER thermal neutron power reactors with fast neutron reactors.
The logic of a two-component nuclear power system is based on the use of nuclear “fuel”, plutonium, separated from spent nuclear fuel (SNF) of VVER reactors, for the manufacture of fuel for fast neutron reactors and the possibility of using plutonium from SNF of “fast” reactors for the manufacture of mixed oxide uranium-plutonium MOX — fuel from VVER plants. 
Thanks to the CNFC, the reproduction of plutonium will expand and the fuel base of nuclear energy will significantly increase, eliminating the need to mine natural uranium in large volumes. It will also be possible to reduce the amount and biological danger of radioactive waste remaining after the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) — the most dangerous radionuclides are planned to be “burned out” in fast neutron reactors. In this way, it will be possible, as nuclear scientists figuratively say, to “remove two key thorns” of the current nuclear energy industry, related to the limited reserves of natural uranium and the deferred problem of spent nuclear fuel.
Unit No. 4 of the Beloyarsk NPP with a fast neutron reactor BN-800 with an installed electrical power of more than 800 MW with a liquid metal coolant sodium, the commercial operation of which began in 2016, was built to test a number of technologies for closing the nuclear fuel cycle, and primarily to demonstrate work on industrial MOX fuel.
Further development of the technology of “fast” sodium reactors was the development of the main high-power commercial power unit of 1200 MW. The construction of a new power unit No. 5 of the Beloyarsk NPP with a BN-1200M reactor is provided for by the general layout of electric power facilities in the Russian Federation until 2035.
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