Istoric

Nuclear fuel manufacturing in Romania – Milestones

1970 – 1979
The Institute for Nuclear Technologies (ITN) is set up. The institute departments: Nuclear Materials and Fuel Elements and Structures are in charge to develop techniques, technologies and equipments dedicated to nuclear fuel manufacturing.

1977
Four CANDU type nuclear fuel bundles with 28 elements are manufactured.

1978
New technologies and equipment dedicated to CANDU 660 fuel with 37 elements are developed.

December 1978
Twenty CANDU 6 type nuclear fuel bundles are manufactured on design basis and in compliance with modern technologies.

1980 
The Nuclear Fuel Element Manufacturing Section (NFEMS) is set up.

2 december 1985
The nuclear fuel manufactured in NFEMS is certified in compliance with the national laws.

1983 – 1990
A number of 31, 707 CANDU 6 type nuclear fuel bundles containing a total amount of 600 t of uranium is manufactured.

31 January 1992
The Nuclear Fuel Elements Manufacturing Section splits from the Nuclear Research Institute and develops into the Nuclear Fuel Plant (FCN).

1992 – 1994
A technical and technological development program is unfolding assisted by the Canadian companies AECL and ZPI

Octomber 1994
The fuel bundles of the demonstration batch – 202 pieces – are manufactured under the supervision of AECL-ZIP, out of which, 66 bundles were included in the initial load of the Cernavoda NPP’s Unit 1 reactor.


1995

A number of 1,678 nuclear fuel bundles is manufactured under AECL’s supervision.

December – 1995
FCN Pitesti obtains from AECL and Zircatec Precision Industries Inc. Canada the licence of supplier for CANDU 6 nuclear fuel as per “CSA-Z-299.2, December 1995” standard.

2 July 1998 
The Company National Society “Nuclearelectrica” SA is set up through the Government Decision 365/1998, a company that includes FCN Pitesti.

18 december 2001
The Program for twice increasing the production capacity is approved.

21 september 2004 
The manufacturing of the fuel dedicated to the initial load of the reactor of the Cernavoda NPP’s Unit 2 begins.

26 July 2006
The manufacturing of the nuclear fuel bundles meant for the initial load of the Cernavoda NPP’s Unit 2 is over.

December 2006
The works for the plant rehabilitation meant to twice increase the manufacturing capacity are done.

September 2007
The high quality of the defect free nuclear fuel manufactured by FCN Pitesti has been proved by the Cernavoda NPP’s Unit 1 excellent operation over a period of 75 consecutive months.

June 2008
Manufacturing of the nuclear fuel bundle 70,000; all those bundles manufactured so far contain about 1,300 t of uranium

2008
The plant rehabilitation works go on considering the nuclear fuel supply needed for the Cernavoda NPP’s Units 3 & 4.

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