ROSATOM NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to the newsletter
Select the region you are interested in and enter your e-mail
Subscribe
News
  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
    • 22.04.2024
    Cooperation. Rosatom took part in the World Nuclear Spotlight Kazakhstan, an international conference organized by the World Nuclear Association and the Kazakhstan Ministry of Energy. Speaking at the conference, Kirill Komarov, First Deputy Director General for Development and International Business at Rosatom, expressed confidence that nuclear energy would underpin low-carbon generation on the global scale. He noted that Rosatom was offering its partners a full range of technology solutions to achieve climate goals. “Rosatom is Russia’s largest producer of low-carbon electric energy, providing about a fifth of the total electricity generated in the country. Rosatom has evolved to churn out nuclear solutions and become a global leader in new build as 22 power reactors out of 25 in development worldwide are being built by Rosatom,” Kirill Komarov said.
    Innovation. Rosatom has obtained an operation license for the world’s first production line for innovative mixed uranium-plutonium nitride (MUPN) fuel. The fuel fabrication and refabrication unit is the first facility of the experimental power plant (abbreviated ODEK in Russian) constructed as part of the Proryv (Breakthrough) Project. Other facilities under construction at ODEK include a Generation IV lead-cooled fast neutron reactor BREST-OD-300 and a reprocessing facility for irradiated fuel. When completed, ODEK will be the first ever nuclear power plant to integrate a fast neutron reactor and on-site facilities for closing the nuclear fuel cycle.
    Reporting. Rosatom’s consolidated financial statements for 2023 were reviewed by auditors. Consolidated revenue of Rosatom Group increased 44.8% in the reporting year.  In 2023, the Russian nuclear corporation paid a total of RUB 443.1bn (USD 4.7bn) in taxes, up 52.1% year-on-year.  Total assets of Rosatom Group grew 24.8%. The key financial stability and liquidity indicators speak for the soundness of its financial position.
    15.04.2024
    Construction sites abroad. Turkey’s Akkuyu NPP entered another key stage as commissioning works began on the construction site of Unit 1. Its spent fuel pool passed hydraulic tests, and workers proceeded with assembling a fuel handling machine, which is used for fuel loading into, and unloading from, the reactor core. The work is underway to assemble electric motors for the primary coolant pumps. Meanwhile, auxiliary infrastructure and buildings are being constructed and commissioned. Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev inspected the progress of on-site works. “This year, we will test all the systems of the primary circuit, conduct hydraulic tests, and load dummy fuel assemblies into the reactor core. We are doing our best for Akkuyu Unit 1 to join the Turkish energy system next year,” Alexey Likhachev said.
    Shipments. Rosatom shipped thermometric products to the Rooppur NPP in Bangladesh. The first shipment containing over 800 resistance temperature detectors and almost 600 thermowells arrived at the construction site. The resistance temperature detectors, thermoelectric converters, protective and switching devices are designed to measure the temperature in equipment, metal structures, and liquid and gaseous media with different corrosive properties. These products are used to monitor the temperature in the reactor core, reactor components, and turbine equipment of the nuclear power units. Rosatom is building a nuclear power plant with two VVER-1200 reactors in Bangladesh.
    Cooperation. V/O Izotop (part of Rosatom) shipped the first batch of cobalt-60 sources to China to be used at local irradiation facilities. The first shipment will pave the way for long-term supplies of these products. Cobalt-60 is one of the most widely used gamma emitters. Sealed radioactive sources with this isotope are employed to sterilize food products, medical instruments and materials, treat and disinfect industrial waste, modify polymers, etc. V/O Izotop supplies its products to over 170 companies in 50 countries and more than 600 companies in Russia. Medical isotopes produced by Rosatom enable about 2.5 million diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed in Russia and abroad.
    08.04.2024
    Cooperation. Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev held a working meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The parties discussed the Russia-Bangladesh strategic cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. “I thank Russia for its assistance in creating Bangladesh’s energy security, especially for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, which was the dream of Bangabandhu, the Father of the Nation. We are interested in building more reactors at the Rooppur site if there is an opportunity for that,” Sheikh Hasina said. Alexey Likhachev emphasized that the Rooppur NPP construction project was approaching one of the key milestones as the reactor of Unit 1 would achieve its first criticality by the end of the year. He noted that Rosatom and Bangladesh were discussing future projects, including the construction of new reactors and the possibility of building a multi-purpose large-capacity research reactor that would be helpful in fundamental research and nuclear medicine.
    Science. Rosatom announced the last-year results of the Russian Science and Technology Development Program. In 2023, Rosatom subsidiaries completed over 80 R&D projects. Among them were the commissioning of equipment at the fuel fabrication unit and testing of the MUPN fuel production line for the BREST-OD-300 reactor. The two facilities are being constructed as part of the Proryv (Breakthrough) Project. A pre-investment feasibility study and an expert review were finalized for the plans to build a BN-1200M sodium-cooled fast reactor at Beloyarsk Unit 5. In Yakutia, the work is underway to construct a small-scale nuclear power plant with a RITM-200N reactor. Construction of a multi-purpose fast neutron research reactor (MBIR) is going at pace as its pressure vessel was installed as designed and the dome of the building was assembled. Plasma with a fusion-level temperature of electrons was retained in the T-15MD tokamak for over two seconds. Draft design was finalized for a molten-salt research reactor.
    Experience sharing. Russian nuclear power experts shared their experience in commissioning VVER-1200 power units with Chinese nuclear engineers at the site of Tianwan Units 7 and 8 (China). The units are being built to the design developed by Rosatom. The experts discussed the specifics of commissioning and operation of primary and auxiliary equipment, and the reactor compartment safety systems. The Russian delegation included, among others, representatives of the Leningrad, Novovoronezh and Belarus nuclear power plants. “The experience gained by Novovoronezh nuclear engineers, who were the first to go through every stage of the commissioning process for the power units of this design, and information about the specifics of reactor operation in the load following mode will be useful to our colleagues in the future when they come close to the reactor start-up phase,” said Pavel Ognerubov, deputy manager of the reactor department at the Novovoronezh NPP. 
    01.04.2024
    Agenda. Held for the thirteenth time, this year’s forum brought together over 4,500 people from 75 countries. Generation IV reactor technology was a key topic at ATOMEXPO 2024. Representatives of government agencies and major global nuclear companies and leading international experts discussed the progress in innovative reactor designs, SMR prospects, digitalization and automation, quantum computing, composites and additive technology markets, energy storage solutions, nuclear medicine capabilities, and other topics. It was also confirmed via video link that the fabrication and refabrication unit (the part of Proryv project) was operationally ready for the production of nuclear fuel.
    Agreements. Rosatom and its international partners signed a number of agreements at the forum. Documents signed with Chinese companies and research organizations provide for cooperation in the nuclear back-end and health care. Kyrgyzstan and Rosatom agreed to work on the projects in small-scale hydropower, wind generation, and environmental protection. Partnerships with Belarus will extend into research and non-energy projects. Agreements with Serbia, Kazakhstan, and Egypt establish cooperation in health care and nuclear medicine. Rwanda will be assisted in personnel training. Cooperation agreements were also signed with Armenia, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
    Statements. Speaking at the forum opening, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev noted that the forum broke the record with the number of attendees, international guests and countries that sent their delegations to the event. “The motto of the forum is Clean Energy: Creating the Future Together. Future and together are two key words in this phrase. It is only together with all the countries that we can build a clean energy future for our planet,” Alexey Likhachev pointed out. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the forum was a major milestone in the global calendar of nuclear events: “ATOMEXPO plays an important role in searching for innovative energy solutions and discussing the future of nuclear energy.”