BR3 nuclear power plant 3
Retired Belgium
Gross capacity
12MW
BR3 nuclear power plant 3 is a pressurised water reactor unit at BR3 nuclear power plant in Belgium rated at 12 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 10 Oct 1962.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | Prototype |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Light water |
| Gross capacity | 12MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 10MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 11MW |
| Thermal output | 41MWt |
| Typical enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | BR3 nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 3 |
| Country | Belgium |
| Owner | Studiecentrum Voor Kernenergie100% Centre D'Etude De L'Energie Nucleaire |
| Operator | Centre D'Etude De L'Energie Nucleaire Studiecentrum Voor Kernenergie |
| Coordinates | 51.2169, 5.0998 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium dioxide pellets in zirconium-alloy cladding
Enrichment
3–5% U-235
Who makes this assembly
- China National Nuclear Corporation PWR fuel assemblies
- ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas PWR and BWR fuel assemblies
- Framatome PWR fuel assemblies
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel PWR fuel assemblies
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries PWR fuel assemblies
- Westinghouse Electric Company PWR fuel assemblies
Upstream
Enriched fuel means this unit sits downstream of five conversion plants and four enrichment operators holding 88% of world capacity between the top three.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Nov 1957Construction start
- 29 Aug 1962First criticality
- 10 Oct 1962Grid connection
- 10 Oct 1962Commercial operation
- 30 Jun 1987Permanent shutdown
Other Prototype units
5 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolinas-Virginia Tube Reactor nuclear power plant | United States | Retired | 19 |
| KNK II nuclear power plant | Germany | Retired | 21 |
| Kalpakkam nuclear power plant PFBR | India | Under construction | 500 |
| Pathfinder nuclear power plant | United States | Retired | 63 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-08
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted