Rosatom

  • Continuing Innovation: The Second Century of Russia’s VVER Nuclear Technology

    The VVER (water-water energetic reactor) technology was born during the time of the Soviet Union. In its main features (light water under pressure as coolant, low-enriched uranium fuel, two-circuit design), it coincided with the Western PWR) pressurized water reactor) technology, but it was not an exact copy. At best, VVER and PWR can be called […]

  • Russian Nuclear Group Inks $25-Billion Deal to Build Nuclear Power Plants in Iran

    The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said Iranian officials have signed an agreement with Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company, to build at least four nuclear power plants in Iran. The $25-billion deal announced September 26 comes two days after Rosatom said officials said they had signed a memorandum of understanding to advance construction of nuclear power technology in Iran.

  • Russia Planning to Build More Nuclear Reactors in Iran

    Russian state-run nuclear energy giant Rosatom is in talks to build another nuclear power plant in Iran, as the two countries work on strategic plans to overcome Western sanctions and strengthen their influence in the region.

  • Russia Advances REMIX Fuel Trials in Boost for Closed Nuclear Fuel Cycle

    Russia has launched its third cycle of testing innovative uranium-plutonium REMIX fuel at the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant in Saratov Oblast, a key step that advances the closed nuclear fuel cycle technology. Designed to recycle spent nuclear fuel (SNF), the REMIX assemblies could significantly expand the raw material base for nuclear energy while reducing radioactive […]

  • Kenya Moves Forward with Plans for Country’s First Nuclear Power Plant

    Officials with Kenya’s Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) said the country is on track to start construction on its first nuclear power plant by 2027. The group at a parliamentary hearing this month said the facility would begin generating power by 2034. Kenya’s move is the latest by an African nation as more countries […]

  • Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Cuts Nation’s Reliance on Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Generation

    In a strategic move to reduce its heavy dependence on Russian natural gas, Belarus has successfully completed its first nuclear power plant (NPP). The Belarusian NPP, featuring two VVER-1200 reactors, now

  • Mobility, Flexibility, Scalability: SMRs Forging Nuclear’s Future

    The need for emissions-free power generation, along with the ability to provide more power when and where it’s needed, is driving research and development of smaller nuclear reactors. Energy industry

  • Russia Plan Calls for 34 New Nuclear Reactors by 2042

    A government agency in Russia has published a draft plan for the expansion of nuclear power in the country that calls for construction of as many as 34 new reactors by 2042. The Unified Energy System of Russia recently released the plan (translated from Russian), writing that it is open for consultation for the next […]

  • India’s Prototype Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor Moves Closer to Criticality

    India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) will allow the country’s flagship 500-MWe/1,250-MWth prototype fast-breeder reactor (PFBR) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, to approach criticality. The nuclear energy safety watchdog on July 30 granted state-owned Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (BHAVINI) permission to embark on the final stage of core loading following assessments, extensive safety reviews, and plant […]

  • Russia Ready to Bring Nuclear Power to Sri Lanka

    Government officials in Sri Lanka said they will work with Russia to bring nuclear power to the country as part of its effort to increase the supply of electricity for the island nation. Professor S.R.D. Rosa, chairman of the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board, told local media the country is looking at offshore and onshore […]

  • Fast Neutron Reactor Installed at Russian Research Facility

    Workers at the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (RIAR) in Dimitrovgrad, Russia, have installed what they call the world’s largest multipurpose fast neutron research reactor, or MBIR, at the site. The group on Jan. 18 said the installation of the MBIR, a milestone in the assembly of the reactor facility, was completed 16 months ahead […]

  • Russia Says Construction of Egypt’s First Nuclear Plant Ahead of Schedule

    Officials from Russia and Egypt marked another milestone in construction of the latter’s first nuclear power plant, with a ceremony Nov. 19 to announce pouring of the “first concrete” for Unit 2 of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Saturday’s event came three weeks after a construction permit was issued for that unit by the Egyptian […]

  • Hungary Adding New VVER-1200 Nuclear Reactors in First for EU

    Hungary’s nuclear energy agency has issued a license for construction of two reactors for Paks II, a power generation project first launched in early 2014 as part of an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia. Officials said Paks II would be the first nuclear plant in the European Union to use Rosatom’s Generation III+ VVER-1200 […]

  • Rosatom Picks New EPC Lead for Turkey’s First Nuclear Power Plant

    A new contractor has been named to finish construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. Russia’s state-owned energy giant Rosatom on July 30 said it had chosen TSM Enerji, a company owned by three Russian groups and incorporated in Turkey, as the project’s new engineering, procurement, and construction lead. The Turkish government has said it […]

  • Nuclear Power on the Upswing, Numerous Projects Take Shape Around the World

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) says momentum is building for nuclear power in many countries amid soaring fuel prices and growing energy security concerns. “In today’s context of the global energy crisis, skyrocketing fossil fuel prices, energy security challenges and ambitious climate commitments, I believe nuclear power has a unique opportunity to stage a comeback,” […]

  • Russians Achieve Milestone with New Nuclear Fuel

    Rosatom announced that it has started the fourth irradiation cycle of fuel assemblies with VVER-type fuel rods in the MIR research reactor (Figure 1) at the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Region. The reactor tests have been ongoing since early 2019. The rods have four combinations of cladding and fuel matrix materials. […]

  • Brazil Looks at Nuclear Power as Demand for Electricity Grows

    A government agency that supports research into Brazil’s energy sector has forecast a significant jump in demand for electricity within the country over the next several years. Empresa de Pesquisa

  • Climate Ripe for Nuclear Advancements

    Improvements in nuclear power technology are being driven by research into safer reactor designs and new fuel types, including smaller reactors that offer flexible siting options with modular construction

  • Rosatom launches PWR fuel fabrication facility

    TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom has launched the new fabrication facility for manufacturing of TVS-K nuclear fuel for PWR reactors at the site of Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, one of the world’s major nuclear fuel enterprises. The new facility will enable TVEL to supply various modifications of TVS-K fuel to nuclear power plants powered by […]

  • Framatome and Rosatom sign long-term cooperation agreement

    December 2, 2021 – Framatome and Rosatom recently signed a new Strategic Cooperation Agreement further expanding the companies’ efforts to develop fuel fabrication and instrumentation and control (I&C) technologies. Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, and Bernard Fontana, CEO of Framatome signed the agreement during the World Nuclear Exhibition held in Paris. “By working closely with […]

  • Rosatom completes foundation concreting for the BREST-OD-300 reactor

    Another milestone achieved in construction of the innovative BREST-OD-300 fast neutron reactor at the site of the Siberian Chemical Combine, a subsidiary of Rosatom’s TVEL Fuel Company, as the pouring of the nuclear island’s foundation slab has been completed. The BREST-OD-300 foundation slab, 90 x 82 meters and 2.5 meters thick, consists of nine separate […]

  • Experimental Advanced Fuel Rods Loaded in Russian Nuclear Reactor

    The first Russian-made nuclear reactor fuel bundles with experimental ATF (Advanced Technology Fuel) rods have been loaded into Unit 2 at the Rostov nuclear power plant (NPP) in southwest Russia. The reactor resumed operations earlier this month after a scheduled maintenance and refueling outage. The Rostov site is home to four VVER-1000 reactor units (Figure […]

  • Icebreaker Reactor Approved for Ground-Based Nuclear Plant

    The international business arm of Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company has received a license that will allow construction of small modular reactors (SMRs), based on the design used in the country’s icebreaker shipping fleet, at ground-based nuclear power plants. Rusatom Overseas JSC (RAOS JSC), the company representing parent company Rosatom’s international interests, on Aug. 9 […]

  • South Africa Nuclear Regulator Furthers New Nuclear Build Process

    South Africa’s longstanding ambitions to expand its nuclear power capacity gained some ground this July, after the nation’s nuclear regulator announced it would convene a public hearing relating to a

  • El Dabaa First of ‘Several’ Nuclear Reactors for Egypt

    Construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant is moving forward, and a government official said the country plans to build “several” more reactors “in various regions” to help support economic development and increasing demand for power. Hesham Hegazy, who leads the nuclear fuel sector for Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA), made the comments during […]

  • Nuclear First—Work Starts on Russian Fast Neutron Reactor

    Construction of a 300-MW nuclear power unit showcasing a fuel specially developed for the reactor is underway in Siberia, a project that industry experts say could provide a dramatic leap forward in nuclear power technology. The project is being hailed as a way to provide a “practically inexhaustible” source of fuel for nuclear power, as […]

  • Rosatom Group Building Energy Storage Portfolio

    Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom continues to diversify, as one of the group’s subsidiaries has acquired a major stake in a South Korean manufacturer of energy storage products. RENERA LLC, which is Rosatom’s integrator company for the energy storage business, and also a subsidiary of TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom, on March 5 announced […]

  • Framatome and Rosatom sign instrumentation and control support contract for Hanhikivi-1

    January 14, 2021 – Framatome and Rusatom Automated Control Systems JSC (RASU JSC), a subsidiary of Rosatom State Corporation, signed a contract to provide technical support in design and integration of the instrumentation and control (I&C) system for the Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Finland. Under the terms of the contract, Framatome will provide […]

  • First Turbine Module Delivered for Turkish Nuclear Plant

    Turkey’s first nuclear power plant reached a milestone with delivery of the first steam turbine module for the project, four months ahead of schedule. GE Steam Power, which is supplying all the major equipment for the plant’s four turbine islands, on Jan. 12 announced it had delivered the module to Atomenergomash, an engineering company and […]

  • POWER Digest [January 2021]

    Feasibility Study Set for Netherlands’ CCS Plan. Neptune Energy in mid-December announced a feasibility study to develop a carbon capture and storage (CCS) plan for the Netherlands. The study will look at