AEM-Technologies, a part of Russia's nuclear power corporation Rosatom, has won a tender to build the world’s largest MBIR multifunctional fast neutron nuclear reactor.

      In June 2013, Russia, US and France made an agreement to jointly conduct research at the reactor in Dimitrovgrad in Russia’s Volga region, in order to study new types of nuclear fuel, construction materials and coolants.

      The MBIR is expected to have a capacity of about 150 megawatts, which will make him the most powerful research reactor in the world. The preliminary estimate of the project's development cost is about 16.4 billion rubles ($454 million).

      In its official statement AEM-Technologies have promised to build the reactor vessel and vessel internals. As a part of the project, it is also planned to create a multi-purpose international research center, which will also produce radioactive isotopes for medical purposes. The research reactor is scheduled to start working in 2020.

      In contrast to today's reactors, which slow down neutrons, the new reactor will allow them to run fast, producing much less waste and potentially breeding new fuel in the process.