Russian-Czech fuel venture launched

Tuesday, 13 December 2011 The Czech Republic's nuclear power plants are set to receive a "complete solution" for their nuclear fuel after Russia's TVEL and Czech engineering company Alta Invest signed founding documents for a new centre for nuclear fuel technology. The joint venture, Alvel, will focus on supporting existing and prospective customers within the European Union. The first stage of the centre will focus on the localisation of fuel services for the Czech Republic's nuclear power plants, but according to TVEL the centre's remit will also expand to promote Russian high-tech goods to the European market, including Western-designed reactors. The centre will provide scientific and technical support for the operation of the two Temelin VVER-1000 reactors, which switched from fuel supplied by Westinghouse to TVEL in 2007. Headquartered in Zbraslav in the Czech Republic, the centre is to begin its activities from January 2012.