The office in Dubai was presented at the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference organized in early April in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Speaking at the opening ceremony, Alexander Merten, President of Rusatom International Network, said, “Rusatom has a long and successful history of regional presence. Having started with the construction of research reactors in the 1960s, we are now supplying isotopes, natural and enriched uranium and carrying out large-scale nuclear waste management and power station construction projects. The regional center is therefore a natural, logical step forward in our cooperation with Middle East companies. I am sure that our office here will support current projects and open up new prospects for the win-win cooperation in non-nuclear areas.”
The Russian nuclear corporation has long been operating in the region. It was the first to construct Russian-designed nuclear research reactors in the Middle East (Egypt in 1961, Iraq in 1967 and Libya in 1981). Rosatom has remained active here and is now building nuclear power plants in Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. Two new reactor units are constructed at Bushehr in Iran. The company supplies natural uranium for the Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE and has isotope supply contracts with the UAE, Egypt and Iran. Civil nuclear cooperation agreements have been made with Saudi Arabia and Algeria. Tunisia has signed a memorandum of understanding.
Rosatom’s regional center in Beijing (China) was opened during the Nuclear Industry China 2016 international exhibition.
“Historically, China has been our key foreign partner. The Tianwan nuclear power plant operates two Russian-designed reactor units, with two more reactors currently under construction. Our office in Beijing will help us concentrate our effort in the region and bring more Russian nuclear companies to the East Asian market,” Rusatom International Network President Alexander Merten said at the event.
Russia and China has been partners in the nuclear field for many years. The first two reactors at Tianwan were constructed by Russian companies, and two new reactors are now built by Russia, too. Other projects carried out with Russia’s involvement include the China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR), a nuclear fuel fabrication plant and four gas centrifuge facilities.
Other regional centers of Rosatom have been opened in Latin America, Western, Central and Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.
