License issued

On 25 April, Rostechnadzor issued a new license for the operation of the IBR-2 reactor after the previous one expired.

We asked FLNP Director Egor LYCHAGIN to comment on the event:

"We had problems with the equipment that is considered important for the safety of the reactor and without a license we could not repair it. We had already made preparations for the repair and as soon as we received a license, we started replacing this equipment. The work is not easy, it will take, I think, three to four months. Once it is completed, I hope we will put the reactor into operation in the fourth quarter of this year. We have never had such a long reactor shutdown, let's see how it behaves. If everything goes well, then in autumn-winter we will start to carry out experiments for our physicists and probably, next year, we will resume the user programme and open the submission of applications for experiments.