RUSSIA | COUNTRY FOCUS Currently NII NPO ‘LUCH’, part of the R&D division of


Rosatom, is working on the technology for manufacturing products with complex geometry from silicon carbide with dimensions of up to 900 millimeters. “In terms of silicon carbide, we are not just on the highest global level, we are moving faster than foreign competitors,” Dub reportedly noted.


The fifth federal project of Rosatom focuses on the development of technologies for the serial construction of nuclear power units. As part of this programme, the biggest hopes of the company rest with the construction of power units with VVER-TOI reactors. This design is widely considered the basis for Russian exports of nuclear energy technologies in the near future. The annual volume of investments in the implementation of these plants varies across the range of RUB100-125 bn (US$1.3-1.5 bn), most of which is allocated from extra- budgetary sources. On a separate note, the company has also plans to


continue its developments in the field of nuclear floating plants. Recently Rosatom has made a proposal to establish nine clusters in the Arctic for the extraction of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc, that will be operated on the basis of energy, produced by floating and small nuclear power plants. In addition, the company plans to accelerate its research in the field of floating power units (OPEB). According to earlier statements, made by Vladimir


Aptekarev, Director for Shipbuilding and Optimized Floating Power Units at Rosatom’s Atomenergomash, the concept of the OPEB project is based exclusively on the supply of electric power, in contrast to the Akademik Lomonosov FNPP, which performs the function of “cogeneration”, that is, it simultaneously supplies both electric and thermal energy. According to him, the OPEB will have increased capacity


due to the use of a new type of reactor, which has been named RITM-200M. Such a power unit with an extended fuel cycle duration of up to 10 years, is capable of generating more than 100 MW of electrical energy. It is also possible to use cogeneration at the power unit - when thermal and electrical generation are simultaneously produced. According to Rosatom, currently the company is 7-8 years


ahead of some major foreign rivals in some areas, while further successful implementation of the programme will allow the company to increase this gap and will contribute to increased exports of Russian nuclear products.


Ukraine and Russia’s nuclear business Ukraine and related sanctions regimes have seen Russian nuclear exports avoid any serious problems in the short term. In 2022, the growth of Russian nuclear exports amounted to more than 20%, which means that the country remains one of the world leaders in the global nuclear energy market. Still, despite this, Rosatom currently faces serious risks


of losing some important contracts in key international markets and an on-going threat of potential sanctions. That may even take place this year, as pressure grows among the international community to tighten the sanctions regime further.


Nonetheless, one of the recipes of success for Rosatom in the international arena in the past has been related to its status as a ‘universal» nuclear company’, which constructs power units, trains personnel, supplies fuel and provides other services. More importantly, the company traditionally


www.neimagazine.com | August 2023 | 19


builds nuclear power plants under a system of preferential state-backed loans provided by the Russian government. This facility allows its major foreign customers to build their nuclear power facilities in debt on preferential conditions for them. As a result, Rosatom has achieved significant success


across the majority of its activity areas. For example, Russia’s current share of the global uranium enrichment market is about 30%, which makes it the leader in this segment. In the European Union, utilities that generate electricity for 100 million people rely on the supply of Russian nuclear fuel, according to the Royal United Defense Research Institute (RUSI). Looking ahead though, the 24 February, 2022 invasion


changed the landscape for Rosatom which does face significant problems in some of its major markets. As a state-owned corporation, Rosatom is wholly controlled by the Russian government, which is prompting many countries to reduce cooperation with it or even abandon projects. The situation continues to deteriorate too. In particular, immediately after the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine countries including Germany and Sweden abandoned plans for the further purchase Russian nuclear fuel. They also said that they would not place new orders in Russia. Moreover, countries including Bulgaria, Slovakia, Finland, and the Czech Republic have begun to take similar steps, despite the fact that they have 18 nuclear power plants on their territories built using the Soviet pressurized water reactor (VVER) technology. Earlier, the Finnish design company Fennovoima


terminated a contract with Rosatom for the construction of the Hanhikivi-1 nuclear power plant. While Finland currently continues to buy nuclear fuel from Russia, it has declared its intention to switch to VVER fuel supplies from Westinghouse Electric. In the meantime, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria have


already reduced the volume of fuel supplies for nuclear power plants from the Russian Federation, while Slovakia – where another VVER-type power unit was recently commissioned at Mochovce with the participation of Rosatom – also has similar plans. Among the EU states, only Hungary still has plans to build two more nuclear units at the Paks nuclear power plant.


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The west is hoping to release Rosatom’s grip on the global nuclear sector Photo credit: fifg/Shutterstock.com


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