Possibilities of BREST reactors and transmutation fuel cycle under conditions implementing modern plans for the development of nuclear power

The possible dynamics of the development of BREST-1200 fast reactor capacities after 2030 on the basis of plutonium and other actinides accumulated in the spent fuel of thermal reactors is examined. It is shown that by 2100 the power BREST reactors could be 114–176 GW, and subsequently they will develop as a result of their own breeding of plutonium. Calculations have shown that the rate at which BREST reactors are put into operation can be doubled by using enriched uranium obtained from natural uranium and regenerated spent fuel from thermal reactors. It is shown that the development of fast reactors with a closed fuel cycle solves the problem of transmutation of long-lived high-level actinides and makes it possible to implement a transmutation fuel cycle in nuclear power. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya,Vol. 103, No. 1, pp. 21–28, July, 2007.