Development of production reactors was caused by the need of the nuclear weapon program for special nuclear materials. In 1947 OKBM received a task to develop individual systems of the first production uranium-graphite reactor (PUGR) "A" (reactor Chief Designer was N.A.Dollezhal). Reactor "A" was constructed and commissioned in 1948 with active participation of OKBM.

Since 1948 OKBM developed a number of advanced PUGR and production heavy-water reactors (HWR). In the 1950s 4 PUGRs were constructed as per OKBM design in Production Association Mayak and at Zheleznogorsk Mining Chemical Combine (MCC) and 2 HWR in Production Association Mayak. At the same time period 3 research HWRs were designed and constructed: in ITEF (Moscow), Yugoslavia and China. The latter is still in operation.

In the 1960-s OKBM developed the designs of new generation PUGRs, which along with weapons-grade Pu production ensured generation of electrical power and heat for industrial and civil objects. Those were one of the first co-generation plants in the world. The total of 5 reactors of this type were constructed: three of them exceeded their specified design lifetime by almost 2 times and are still operating, providing heat and electric power supply to Seversk, Tomsk and Zheleznogorsk. Heavy-water reactor technology was developed further, which was marked by commissioning of HWR L-2 advanced reactor in 1988. Lately this reactor has bben used to solve the task of arranging large-scale production of radioactive isotopes for industrial, medical and scientific purpose (Co-60, Iridium-192, Carbon-14, Phosphorus-32 Tulium-170, Selenium-75, etc.) both for domestic and world markets.

In the second half of the 1990-s OKBM together with other Russian Minatom enterprises implemented the Core Conversion Project under the Agreement between the Governments of Russia and the USA to terminate WGPu production at the operating PUGRs. At the same time the activities to enhance safety and validate the residual lifetime of these reactors are underway.

Presently shutdown PUGRs are being decommissioned and new generation HWR are being developed.

The OKBM half-century experience in the field of production reactor technologies is widely used to create various reactor plants for nuclear power engineering.