Achievements. Dagong Global Credit Rating Co., a Chinese state-owned rating agency, has assigned AtomEnergoProm a national-scale credit rating of AAA(RU) with a stable outlook. This is the highest possible sovereign rating level. The agency noted that AtomEnergoProm offers a wide range of products and services, has an integrated production chain, and holds a substantial position in the global nuclear fuel industry. The company is one of the largest suppliers of clean energy and the sole operator of nuclear power plants in Russia. This is the company’s third credit rating received. Earlier, AtomEnergoProm was assigned ratings by Russian agencies Expert RA (ruAAA) and ACRA (AAA(ru)).

Icebreakers. The third multi-purpose nuclear icebreaker Yakutia has arrived at its home port of Murmansk. The journey from Saint Petersburg took six days, during which the icebreaker crossed the Baltic, North, Norwegian, and Barents Seas, covering a total of 2,470 nautical miles. “The nuclear-powered icebreaker Yakutia is much awaited in the waters of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). It has arrived at just the right time, the peak of the winter-spring navigation season. The ice buildup period on the NSR is now coming to an end. Yakutia will have an excellent opportunity to demonstrate all its key technical advantages: power, maneuverability, and dual-draft capability. The icebreaker’s crew will be working in the Yenisey area of the Kara Sea,” said Yakov Antonov, acting CEO of Russian nuclear fleet operator Atomflot. At present, the company operates eight nuclear icebreakers, with three more under construction.

Cooperation. A seminar by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Leadership and Management has concluded at the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant. Over three days, IAEA representatives shared international best practices in enhancing the safety of nuclear power plants. During the seminar, experts conducted walkdowns of the VVER-1200 reactor units. The seminar was held in preparation of the plant for the Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission, the IAEA’s oldest type of mission for independent operational safety assessments of nuclear power plants. The mission is scheduled for 2026. A similar inspection was conducted at the plant’s fourth power unit in 2017. The Leningrad NPP is one of Russia’s largest nuclear power plants in terms of installed capacity (4,400 MW). It operates four RBMK-1000 units and two VVER-1200 units.

Construction sites. Rosatom steelmakers set about manufacturing a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for Unit 6 of Hungary’s Paks II nuclear power plant. The forging of steel blanks with a total weight of about 600 tonnes began at Rosatom’s production site AEM-SpetsStal. These will be used to make RPV components. “The Paks II NPP project is proceeding on schedule. This is evidenced by the fact that the manufacturing of a long-lead piece of equipment, a reactor pressure vessel for Unit 6, started one year after the beginning of the same production phase for Paks Unit 5,” said AtomStroyExport Vice President and Paks II construction project director Vitaly Polyanin. Paks II is being built to Russia’s latest design specifications and will have two power units equipped with VVER-1200 reactors.

Education. Rosatom’s Technical Academy held its first training course under the Key Aspects and Lifecycle of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) program. The course was attended by educators, scientists, and nuclear energy professionals from Rosatom’s partner countries, including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Myanmar, Rwanda, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, and others. The attendees spent a week studying the main equipment and safety systems of SMR nuclear power plants with RITM-200N reactors and discussing workforce training for SMR projects. They also took part in a technical tour of nuclear facilities.

Cooperation. Rosatom participated in the Mechanical Engineering / Metalworking 2025 international exhibition in Minsk. Speaking at a roundtable on additive manufacturing, Ilya Kavelashvili, Director for Additive Technologies at Rosatom’s Fuel Division, highlighted that the Russian nuclear industry established an end-to-end 3D printing chain that comprises a proprietary line of 3D printers covering major additive techniques, software, and metal powder production. Rosatom experts also discussed the prospects, opportunities and experience of production robotics at other exhibition events. The exhibition booth of the Russian nuclear corporation featured pump components printed on an industrial 3D printer, a welding robot, a robotic system demonstrating electric arc welding, and other Rosatom innovations.

Arctic. Rosatom presented its vision of the development prospects for the Northern Sea Route (NSR) at the 6th International Arctic Forum entitled The Arctic: Territory of Dialog. Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev recalled that the record-high 37.9 million tonnes of cargo had been transported over the NSR in the previous year. “Now we need to step up to the next level, planning to deliver 100-150 million tonnes of cargo and operate 15–17 rather than 10–11 icebreakers. So, it is necessary to build more of them,” the Rosatom chief pointed out. Alexey Likhachev also stressed the importance of international cooperation. “We are expanding the dialog with a number of countries that have solid shipbuilding expertise,” Alexey Likhachev said. He also suggested switching to a 30-year planning term for the NSR, emphasizing that a comprehensive development plan for this shipping lane should be nothing other than long-term. Vladimir Panov, Rosatom’s special representative for the Arctic, noted that Russia-China and Russia-India cooperation on the Northern Sea Route had become systemic. Rosatom is an operator of the NSR infrastructure. Making the NSR an efficient sea lane linking Europe, Russia and the Asia-Pacific region is one of the strategic goals pursued by the Russian nuclear corporation.

Brazil. Rosatom took part in the International Brazil Energy Meeting (IBEM) 2025 held in the Brazilian city of Salvador. The conference discussed key issues of energy supply, sustainable development, and deployment of innovative technologies. Ivan Dybov, Director of Rosatom America Latinа, presented Russian small modular reactor (SMR) designs. He noted that SMR nuclear power plants would be able to overcome energy shortage in isolated areas of the Amazon. “SMRs are one of the most promising nuclear technologies. They are designed to provide uninterrupted supply of clean electricity in remote areas. The technology is ready to meet the growing demand for reliable power supply in critical sectors, such as data centers, in which security and reliability are vital,” Ivan Dybov said.

Composites. Rosatom Composite Technologies took part in the 17th International Composites Exhibition (Composite Expo 2025) held in Moscow. The trade fair brought together more than 150 companies from Russia, Belarus, China, Turkey, and Iran. Rosatom demonstrated its latest developments in carbon and glass fibers, and materials made of them. Visitors to Rosatom’s booth could see samples of PAN-based carbon fiber with a tensile strength of 5.5 GPa (the PAN precursor is produced by Rostom in house), as well as fiber glass roving and reinforcement samples. Rosatom also presented thermoplastic polymer composites, a wind blade cross-section, geosynthetic materials used in road construction, and a model of the VOYT universal electric mobility platform. The composite division of the Russian nuclear corporation ranks first in Russia and is a Top 10 manufacturer worldwide in terms of carbon fiber production. The division includes a research and development center, and production facilities specializing in high-strength and high-modulus carbon fibers and synthetic fabrics.