ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses various aspects of the fuel cycle infrastructure focusing on production capabilities and potential developments of the facilities associated with the front-end, research, naval, and civil power reactors, and civil use and disposition of plutonium at the back-end of the fuel cycle. Moreover, the front-end fuel cycle activities were integrated with the production of enriched uranium for weapons. Minatom plans to close the uranium fuel cycle of the plutonium production reactors by recycling recovered uranium into fresh fuel for these same reactors. The flow of natural and low-enriched uranium was closely integrated with that of highly enriched uranium (HEU). Most HEU was produced from uranium recovered from the irradiated natural uranium fuel of plutonium production reactors. Exploration of uranium resources and construction of new production capacities were paralleled by advances in the technologies of uranium mining and extraction.
