ADE-4 and ADE-5 Reactors in Seversk, www.globalsecurity.org

SCC turned to new conversion technologies in the 1990s, working with foreign enterprises such as BNFL, COGEMA, SIEMENS and GNSS. Under an agreement with the USA, the combine is taking part a conversion programme in which highly-enriched uranium is turned into low grade for use in energy production. A growing range of conversion activities are also now underway. A range of new companies and enterprises has grown up in Seversk in recent years, including an active medium and small business sector.

ADE-4 and ADE-5 were still operating as of April 2001. The reactors are light-water cooled/graphite-moderated, with a capacity of 2,500 MWt. The two remaining operational reactors are fueled by natural uranium. They are the largest of their kind in Russia. From 1989-1991, automatic emergency response systems were installed in the Tomsk reactors to prevent accidents. According to the US-Russian 1994 Agreement Concerning the Shutdown of Plutonium Production Reactors and the Cessation of Use of Newly Produced Plutonium for Nuclear Weapons, the ADE-4 and ADE-5 reactors were scheduled for shut down by the year 2000; however, Russia and the US developed a new agreement to convert the reactor cores instead of shutting down the reactors in order to continue providing electricity and heat.The heat that the two reactors provide for Seversk and nearby Tomsk accounts for 50% and 30-35% of the two cities' needs for thermal power, respectively.

In 2000 Russia insisted that these reactors be replaced by a fossil fuel plant rather than have their cores converted, due to economic and technical considerations. The US Congress prohibits funding the construction of fossil fuel plants in Russia under the program SCC will inevitably need to shut down the reactors once they reach the end of their service lives. Thus, the plant has developed a "Plan on Nuclear Power Development in Tomsk-7," which provides a two-phased energy replacement plan that includes the construction of a VK-300 district heating plant and a high temperature gas-cooled reactor to run on MOX fuel. Since 1995, SCC specialists have been working with General Atomics (United States), (France), and Fuji Electric (Japan) on the design of this Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor and its fuel. General Atomics describes its version of the GT-MHR, which uses a helium coolant, has a graphite core structure, and uses refractory-coated particle fuel, as "ultra-safe" and "meltdown-proof."

The following web-sites were used: , ,

Based on the population census of 1959 the pre-school kids made 20.3% of the total population. The combine production growth resulted in the employment increase. The number of personnel increased by 2.5 times between 1954 and 1961, making a total of almost 15,000 people. With the increase in the number of young specialists, the team was getting younger; in 1961 young specialists under 30 made 70% of the staff, with people over 40 making less than 10%.

In 1960-1980 the city was a dynamically developing social, cultural, residential complex with the entire infrastructure in place. A fast growth of both the city and the combine was favored by a political situation and rather good economical circumstances of that period.

In the 1990ies Seversk became the city with the largest atomic complex in the Russian Minatom system, with a powerful construction industry, developed transportation network, modern utility system, a good food-processing industry, cultural, scientific and educational institutions.

(For more about the Siberian Chemical Combine can be found of web-site )