Construction sites. Rosatom and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants LLP (KNPP) have signed an EPC contract for the construction of a nuclear generation facility near Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan. The power plant will have two VVER-1200 reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 MW. As the leader of the international consortium, Rosatom will deliver a turnkey project, taking over engineering, equipment procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover to the customer. “The signed document marks a new stage in our cooperation with Kazakhstan. In the near future, Rosatom will do the engineering part of the project and establish an international consortium of equipment suppliers. Throughout every stage of the project, we strictly follow our primary objective of building and commissioning power units that meet the most stringent international safety and efficiency requirements,” said Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev. Engineering surveys have been underway near the future plant site since August 2025, with over 60 boreholes drilled and numerous samples extracted and tested to select the optimal location of the power units. The site investigation work will be completed in 2027, which will be followed by the preparation of documentation to obtain construction permits for the reactors.

Cooperation. Rosatom acted as an official partner and a key contributor to the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held in Vladivostok, Russia. At a session dedicated to the energy self-sufficiency of the Russian Far East, Andrey Petrov, Rosatom’s First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy, announced the company was ready to reduce the commissioning timeline for the first unit of the Primorskaya Nuclear Power Plant (to be built in the region) by two years compared to the standard schedule. The construction pace will be accelerated through the use of a standardized design, streamlined construction workflows, and digital management tools. The plant’s design provides for two power units from the outset: the first will cover the region’s current electricity needs, while the second will be a reserve for the further development of Primorsky Krai. The development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) was also discussed at the forum. Rosatom representatives emphasized the need for a specialized high-ice-class fleet for year-round navigation in the eastern Arctic sector, the advancement of ice reconnaissance, and the maintenance of stable tariffs for icebreaker escorts. The forum was also presented with the environmental monitoring results for the NSR waters: research conducted since 2021 has revealed no negative impact of shipping on marine ecosystems.

Training. An IAEA Interregional Training Course on Leadership and Safety has concluded at the Rosatom Technical Academy in Moscow. The course was attended by 22 professionals from 17 countries, representing regulatory bodies, nuclear agencies, operating organizations, and research institutes. The program focused on the impact of management decisions and leadership actions on safety. The attendees benchmarked the requirements of the IAEA GSR Part 2 standard against their organizations’ practices, analyzed real-world scenarios, and explored leadership approaches in multicultural environments. Special attention was paid to fostering a safety culture prior to the commissioning of nuclear power plants, including personnel training and qualification, knowledge retention, and engagement with suppliers during the construction phase. The Rosatom Technical Academy has been an IAEA Collaborating Center since 2019; throughout this partnership, it has hosted over 80 international events for more than 2,100 participants.