On June 8, PetrozavodskMash (part of Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division) will celebrate its 65th anniversary. It began by producing equipment for the pulp and paper industry, but today it manufactures complex, large-scale machinery for nuclear power plants around the world, deploying digital and robotic solutions.
The foundation for a mechanical factory was laid on the 40th anniversary of the Republic of Karelia in 1960. The factory was built with cutting-edge technology and equipped with the most advanced machinery of the time. In 1970, the first numerically controlled machines were installed, followed by the introduction of computational technology for managing production processes in 1972 — seen as nearly science fiction back then. In 1984, the factory acquired Karelia’s very first personal computer.
In the 1980s, PetrozavodskMash was manufacturing complex, heavy-duty petrochemical equipment. For example, the largest rectification column measured 93 meters long and weighed 610 tonnes. The company also contributed to the space industry, manufacturing metal structures for the one-of-a-kind launch pad of the Buran space shuttle.
150 pieces
of large equipment since 2010, PetrozavodskMash has manufactured for nuclear power plants
In 2010, PetrozavodskMash joined Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division. Strong technical capabilities and skilled personnel allowed for a swift transition to meet the needs of the nuclear sector.
PetrozavodskMash produces Class I and Class II safety-grade equipment for the nuclear islands of power plants. This includes casings for primary coolant pumps (PCPs), primary circuit pipes, pressurizers, steam generator headers, and safety system tanks. Since joining Rosatom, the factory has manufactured 150 pieces of large equipment for nuclear stations, including more than 70 PCP casings, 36 emergency core cooling system tanks, 32 passive core flooding system tanks, 16 sets of primary coolant pipes, and four pressurizers. Their total weight reaches nearly 27,500 tonnes. The factory is Russia’s only supplier of seamless clad pipes for the primary coolant circuits, manufactured using its proprietary electroslag cladding technology.
Equipment made at PetrozavodskMash operates at Russia’s Novovoronezh, Leningrad, Rostov, and Kursk nuclear power plants. Internationally, it is installed at nuclear facilities in Belarus, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, and China. In the near future, the next set of components will be shipped from Karelia to Egypt and Hungary.
A point of pride for the factory is its production line for pipe valves, which have been developed in-house. In 2016, the entire valve product line was certified, and the factory launched mass production. The range includes wedge gate valves and check valves from carbon and corrosion-resistant steels that seal off flows of working media (water, oil, steam, and others), ensuring reliable operation of various nuclear plant systems. PetrozavodskMash has supplied nearly 700 pipeline valves for the construction and modernization of nuclear facilities both in Russia and abroad.
The company continuously upgrades its equipment and improves workforce qualifications to enhance productivity and quality. For instance, it has replaced some paper-based workflows with digital applications and implemented an equipment condition monitoring system. Thanks to predictive analytics, potential malfunctions are now detected early, allowing for adjustments to operation modes or replacement of faulty components before failures occur. This approach enables a shift from scheduled to condition-based maintenance.
Digital quality control is conducted with a 3D scanner, reducing welding material consumption by 40% and shortening the manufacturing cycle by three weeks. Digital tools also allow for remote logistics tracking and remote equipment acceptance.
PetrozavodskMash employees are confident that they have secured orders and work for decades to come, serving both domestic and international nuclear power projects.
Photo by: PetrozavodskMash
