| Aktau nuclear power plant | |
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BN350 desalination unit. View of the only nuclear-heated desalination unit in the world. |
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| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Location | Aktau |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Construction began | 1964 |
| Commission date | 1973 |
| Licence expiration | 1995 |
| Reactor information | |
| Reactors decom. | 1 X 135 MW |
| Reactor type(s) | sodium-cooled fast reactor (BN350) |
| Reactor supplier(s) | Atomenergoproekt |
| Turbine manufacturer(s) | Kharkov Turbine Plant |
The BN-350 was a sodium-cooled fast reactor nuclear power plant located at Aktau (formerly known as Shevchenko from 1964-1992), Kazakhstan, situated on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Construction of the BN-350 Fast breeder reactor began in 1964, and the plant first produced electricity in 1973. In addition to providing power for the city (150 MWe), BN-350 was also used for producing plutonium and for desalination to supply fresh water (120,000 m³ fresh water/day) to the city.
The project lifetime of the reactor officially finished in 1993, and in June 1994, the reactor was forced to shut down because of a lack of funds to buy fuel. By 1995, the plant's operating license had expired. The facility continued to operate far below capacity until reactor operations ceased in 1999, when plutonium-bearing spent fuel stopped being produced.