LOCATION: Glazov, Udmurtiya
Address: 7 ulitsa Belova, Glazov 427620
Telephone: (34141) 360-70
Fax: (34141) 345-07
E-mail: post@chmz.net [ChMZ Web Site, http://www.chmz.udm.net/]
{Updated 8/21/01 RA} HOMEPAGE:http://www.chmz.net/en{Entered
8/21/01 RA; updated 1/20/2005 CC} SUBORDINATION: Chepetsk Mechanical Plant is a joint-stock company. In
1996 ChMZ became part of the TVEL
joint stock company, which is managed by the
Federal Atomic Energy Agency.[1,2]
Sources: [1] Nuclear
Business Directory-2000 (Moscow: International Business Corporation,
2000 edition), pp. 99-100. [2] ChMZ Web Site,
http://www.chmz.udm.net/.
{Entered 8/21/01 RA} STRUCTURE: ChMZ includes facilities for mechanical engineering
and uranium, calcium, zirconium, and instruments
production.
[Nuclear
Business Directory-2000 (Moscow: International Business Corporation,
2000 edition), p. 99-100.] {Entered 8/21/01 RA} ACTIVITIES: The Chepetsk Mechanical Plant was established in 1946.[4] It is one of Russia's major producers of zirconium products, natural and depleted
uranium products, and metallic calcium and its compounds.[1,3] Natural uranium products at ChMZ are manufactured as ingots,
uranium metal powder, uranium oxide, and uranium tetrafluoride.[3] The
plant produces natural
uranium metal feed for the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant
(NZKhK). Since 1956 ChMZ has been the principal producer of
corrosion-resistant zirconium metal and zirconium alloys used for fuel
cladding tubes.[1,3] These tubes are used in the production of fuel assemblies for VVER and RBMK reactors by nuclear fuel
manufacturing enterprises, mostly Machine Building Plant (MSZ).[1,2]
Since 1971, ChMZ has produced special zirconium-steel welding joints for
RBMK
nuclear reactor fuel channels. Most ChMZ zirconium products are manufactured from zirconium
alloys containing from 1% to 2.5% niobium.[3] In cooperation with the
Bochvar
All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Inorganic Materials (VNIINM) ChMZ
developed technology to produce
cladding tubes using new E-635 alloys.[2] Calcium at ChMZ is produced
in various forms of metal, powder and solutions.[2,3] Chepetsk
Mechanical Plant also produces zirconium wires and sheets, which are also
used in the manufacture of nuclear fuel rods and assemblies; cored wire and injection machines used in
metallurgy; rare earth materials (rare earth carbonates, oxide concentrates,
polishing powders); welded joints
for chemical industry, and a wide range of nickel-metal hydride rechargeable
batteries.[3]
Sources: [1] Thomas B. Cochran, Robert S. Norris, Oleg A.
Bukharin, Making the Russian Bomb: From Stalin to Yeltsin (Boulder: Westview Press,
1995), p. 192, 194. [2] Nuclear
Business Directory-2000 (Moscow: International Business Corporation,
2000 edition), p. 99-100. [3] ChMZ Web Site,
http://www.chmz.udm.net/. [4] TVEL Web Site, http://tvel.ru/ru/polisi_r.htm.
{Updated 8/21/01 RA}
12/3/2001:UDMURTIAN GOVERNMENT TO SELL ChMZ
SHARES On 3 December 2001, the
government of Udmurtiya announced it plans to sell its shares of the Chepetsk Mechanical Plant
to TVEL, Minatom's nuclear fuel concern. According to
Sergey Kasikhin, the republic's property minister, TVEL intends to increase
ChMZ's charter capital, which equals 4 billion rubles ($134.41 million as of
3 December 2001).[1] Currently, TVEL owns 51% of the plant's shares while ChMZ's
employees own 25%. The remaining 24% belong to the government of Udmurtiya, which
hopes the sale will help offset the republic's budget deficit.[2]
Sources: [1] "Udmurtia
to sell 25% uranium works to nuclear fuel co.," Interfax Mining and Minerals
News, 7 December 2001. [2] "Udmurtskaya
respublika. Chepetskiy mekhanicheskiy zavod mozhet byt prodan kontsernu 'TVEL',"
VolgaInform information agency,
http://www.volgainform.ru/allnews/16408,
3 December 2001. {Entered
4/30/02 DA}
6/21/2001:FOUR DEAD FOLLOWING EXPLOSION AT ChMZ
CAUSED BY SAFETY VIOLATIONS On 21 June 2001, an explosion occurred in one of
the shops at the Chepetsk Mechanical Plant. As a result of
the blast, one worker died on site and six were hospitalized; three persons died
later in the hospital.[1,2] According to the Minatom press service, the explosion
at ChMZ was caused by violations of safety rules in
the shop where calcium
metal is produced.[1] According to the preliminary investigation, hydrogen
exploded during a chemical reaction. Representatives of the Udmurtiya government and the
Minatom press service stated that no radioactive substances or
chemicals were released. Further investigation is pending.[1,2]
Sources: [1] "Russia: Blast at depleted
uranium plant in Udmurtia caused safety violations," Interfax, 21
June 2001; in FBIS Document CEP20010621000316. [2] Yu. Sidorov, "Tragediya v Glazove: chetyre dnya
spustya," Udmurtskaya pravda,26 June
2001; in
Integrum Techno: http://www.integrum.ru. {Entered
8/23/01 RA}
Last updated 24 September 2002 The development section in this file is no longer being updated. For major
recent developments, see the
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Developments file.
Comments or questions? Contact Elena Sokova at MIIS
CNS: esokovaATmiis.edu
