Russia’s Nuclear Game-Changer: Driving BRICS’ Energy Future

by Ekaterina Blinova [9-26-2025].

(RAD: This is definitely a major breakthrough that can prolong the use of nuclear reactors for thousands of years. The first commercial installation is expected by 2030. — RAD)

President Vladimir Putin has unveiled Russia’s nuclear breakthrough: a closed fuel cycle power system to tackle global uranium shortages.

Holy Grail of Nuclear Technology

"A closed-cycle reactor is the holy grail of nuclear energy," energy expert Alexey Anpilogov tells Sputnik. "Scientists have pursued it since the dawn of the nuclear age."

• A conventional plant uses 0.7% of uranium, leaving 99.3% waste. This reactor reuses it, making uranium fuel last for thousands of years.
• Rosatom’s fast reactor BREST-OD-300 will run on uranium-238 and convert it into reusable plutonium-239.

It is the world’s only сlosed-cycle nuclear system entering industrial phase, says Alexander Uvarov, director of AtomInfo-Center.

"The Russian president set 2030 as the launch date for the system, but I’d say it will start even earlier."

Cost-Effective Solution

"If you load 1 kg of uranium into such a reactor, you’ll not only get electricity and heat, but also produce more than 1 kg of new plutonium," Anpilogov explains. "It’s like a magic wallet where the money grows on its own."

Hazardous Waste Recycling

During operation, BREST will also burn highly radioactive elements, such as cesium and strontium — known for causing severe radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

High-Safety Reactor

• The BREST-OD-300’s lead coolant makes it safer than other reactors: radiation-resistant, with a high boiling point and inert to water and air.
• Lead-cooled reactors are seen as a promising future for global nuclear energy.

No Competitors

"Do we have competitors? Not yet," the experts say.

The US, Japan, and France have tried closed fuel cycles and built sodium-cooled reactors, but none have achieved a reliable, sustainable design like Russia’s BREST-OD-300.

Importance for BRICS

BRICS countries would be interested in BREST, Uvarov notes. Rosatom actively cooperates with India and China, both of which have huge plans for nuclear energy.

"Export prospects look very promising," Uvarov concludes.

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