Meeting on the development of Russia’s nuclear energy sector • President of Russia
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon.
Today, we will discuss matters concerning the development of one of the key sectors of Russia’s fuel and energy complex. The conversation will focus on nuclear
energy, and the current and future goals for this strategic sector.
First and foremost, I would like to note that
today marks 81 years since the establishment of Russia’s nuclear industry. On this important anniversary, I would like to extend my greetings to all industry
veterans and employees. I would like to add that from the very first days of the atomic project, alongside addressing defence objectives, the peaceful
applications of nuclear energy – in power generation, transportation, and other
sectors – were given the utmost attention.
Today, the nuclear energy sector, with its
tremendous concentration of scientific expertise, technology, state-of-the-art
materials, manufacturing and construction solutions, and highly skilled
professionals, is, without exaggeration, a source of pride for our country.
Russia is perhaps the only country in the world to have competencies across the entire nuclear energy chain with a solid track record of upholding high safety
standards and ensuring the reliable operation of nuclear power plants.
It is these competitive advantages
that have made Russia a leader in building NPPs abroad. Today, Rosatom has 28
power units in its portfolio in various countries around the world.
Nuclear power generation has special
importance for ensuring the stable operation of the domestic power grid. Its
share in the national energy mix has been increasing. Today, nuclear energy
accounts for about 20 percent of domestically produced electric power.
Long-term plans for this sector in Russia provide for launching about 30 gigawatts of nuclear generating capacity,
including small NPPs. This will not only replace power units that are set to reach the end of their life cycle, but will also help substantially increase
the overall nuclear power generation capacity.
Plans to build power units across a wider geography have special importance. The latest nuclear stations will be
built in the Urals, Siberia and Russia’s Far East for producing affordable,
clean energy.
This effort is designed to create a solid foundation for infrastructure development with a view to promoting long-term
regional and territorial development and facilitating the emergence of new,
energy-intensive production sites, including those specialising in the deep processing
of natural resources in the Arctic, Siberia and Russia’s Far East, while also
serving sectors and powering services which have been playing an increasingly important
role in the present-day economy. I am referring to electric transport,
industrial robotics, automation in the services sector, etc.
And, of course, that includes the development of artificial intelligence tools and the construction of data
storage and processing centres. These elements of the digital, platform economy
are driving growing demand for electricity. This demand must be calculated and planned for, and the necessary generating capacity must be provided, including,
of course, from nuclear power plants.
In this regard, I would like to emphasise the following key points.
First. It is important to ensure
technological readiness for the design and construction of nuclear power plants – both large and small – and to have a range of standard power units that can be assembled in series, on a production-line basis.
This means scaling up the manufacture of power engineering products based on domestic developments.
Industry and related enterprises, research centres, and laboratories must be
prepared for this.
Second. A vitally important task is
ensuring that nuclear power plants have a sufficient fuel supply. Here, we must
work to strengthen our own resource base, conduct geological exploration, and develop deposits.
Third. Competition in the global
nuclear energy industry is fierce, and we must strengthen our technological
leadership in this field, continually improve the safety of nuclear generation,
and enhance its economic efficiency. Russia possesses the most advanced closed
nuclear cycle technologies, which allow for the repeated use of fuel. We must
ensure the widespread adoption of such technical solutions.
Fourth. The construction and maintenance of nuclear facilities clearly requires highly skilled personnel.
Our national school of thought is strong in this area, but, I repeat, our
competitors are also advancing rapidly. Therefore, we must maintain a high
standard of training for relevant specialists – scientists, engineers, technicians, and managers – and provide opportunities for existing industry workers to continually
upgrade their skills.
Fifth. Successfully implementing our
plans in the nuclear energy industry requires a sustainable financial model for its growth. This model must take into account the specifics of financing
investment projects, the scale of investment, payback periods, and so on.
Let us discuss all of these topics.
Now, I give the floor to Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev.
Please, Mr Likhachev.
Director General of Rosatom State
Corporation Alexei Likhachev: Mr President,
First of all, thank you very much
for your warm greetings and kind words addressed to the entire nuclear industry
and our large team. And, of course, thank you for your continued and unwavering
support of Rosatom’s work, both in Russia and abroad.
Indeed, the Soviet nuclear project
began 81 years ago. Our predecessors not only created the “nuclear shield and sword” in a remarkably short time, but also secured global leadership in peaceful nuclear energy. The year 1954 saw the first Obninsk NPP, followed by the nuclear icebreaker, small power plants, and fusion units. We are building
on this legacy today – both in terms of our country’s energy supply and our
competitiveness in the global market. This rests on scientific research,
technological development, and, most importantly, the dedication of our massive
workforce.
Let me now turn to the report. I would like to request, if possible, the use of the visual materials entitled “Development
of Nuclear Energy in the Russian Federation.”
Nuclear energy in Russia today
comprises 34 operating units at 11 nuclear power plants. These include the unique floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov with two reactor units,
and six units of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which are currently in cold shutdown. Last year, we generated over 218 billion kilowatt-hours.
Including our wind and thermal generation, we supplied the system with over 230
billion kilowatt-hours. This year, these figures will improve, and we are
guaranteed to maintain our position as the largest power generating company in the country.
Our division is primarily the Rosenergoatom concern – the operator of all active nuclear power plants. It
includes the Titan-2 construction holding company, numerous service and repair
organisations, and employs approximately 88,000 people.
Among our 31 nuclear cities, we have
12 nuclear power plant towns. We work systematically with the Federal Medical
and Biological Agency on healthcare services and with the Ministry of Higher
Education on personnel development and training. We are consistently improving
urban infrastructure, and cultural and sports facilities. Traditionally, the towns that host our nuclear power plants are among the best-ordered in their
respective regions.
Mr
President,
In advancing nuclear energy, we are guided by the General Scheme for the Placement
of Nuclear Power Facilities, approved by the Government of the Russian
Federation in December 2024. The current General Scheme remains in force until
2042. Within the General Scheme, we are pursuing three principal objectives.
The first
involves the replacement of legacy power units. Over the next decade, we are
required to decommission 13 units – more than ten gigawatts of capacity –
accounting for one third of the fleet currently in operation.
The second
objective is qualitative in nature: namely, the transition to a new
technological paradigm and to fourth-generation energy systems. Their
advantages – widely recognised, including on a global scale – lie in enhanced
safety; a practically inexhaustible resource base, owing to the inclusion of the uranium‑238 isotope in the fuel cycle; and the resolution of radioactive
waste accumulation by burning out long‑lived isotopes and closing up the fuel
cycle. These energy systems will not only ensure greater stability and economic
viability for the Russian energy system, but also consolidate our leadership on the world stage.
The General
Scheme also reflects your specific instructions regarding the earliest possible
launch of nuclear power plants in Primorye, Khabarovsk and Kola, and, more
broadly, on increasing the share of nuclear generation in the 2040s from the current 20 percent to 25 percent by 2045.
The General
Scheme outlines a wide range of specific technological solutions. We are
particularly proud of our large‑capacity units – the bestselling models on the global market, as they are often called – the VVER‑1000 and VVER‑1200,
including the optimised VVER‑TOI. The latter was first brought into operation
at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, has already generated more than four billion
kilowatt‑hours of electricity, and is currently the largest and most powerful
unit in Russia – with a capacity of 1,250 megawatts.
Medium‑capacity
VVER‑600 units have also been developed, including versions equipped with
spectral control.
Separately,
you have emphasised small‑capacity power generation. Currently, this
constitutes one of the key challenges and a leading global trend. We are
implementing a project for power units based on the latest generation of the well‑proven marine reactor, the RITM‑200. Solutions have been developed for both land‑based and floating configurations. These are particularly well suited
to remote and isolated territories. I would like to emphasise that such units
are produced in series only in Russia. To date, 15 reactors have been
manufactured, with another 13 currently under construction.
We also
have a portfolio of micro‑capacity projects. These include Rosatom’s Shelf
project, as well as the Kurchatov Institute’s notable project, the Elena
thermoelectric power station. These units are capable of operating autonomously
for decades.
We continue to develop
next-generation reactors, including sodium-cooled fast-neutron reactors, and are moving toward the world’s first ever gigawatt-scale capacity of the BN-1200
reactor. Its construction is underway at the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant in the Sverdlovsk Region. Russia is the only country operating fast reactors on an industrial scale. These reactors will, of course, become an essential element
of the new technological paradigm of the fourth-generation dual-component
nuclear power.
We have begun practical work on designing
fourth-generation nuclear power systems. Mr President, you are well aware of the project in Seversk, the pilot demonstration power complex featuring the 300-megawatt BREST-300 fast-neutron reactor with lead coolant. It will enable
us to close the nuclear fuel cycle, with both a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing
facility and a fresh fuel fabrication facility located on the same site. We
plan to replicate and scale up this technology, creating industrial-scale power
complexes in the gigawatt range equipped with high-capacity fast-neutron
reactors.
Without doubt, the entire world is
watching the construction project in Seversk, and the launch of the Pilot
Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK) by 2030 will demonstrate our undisputed
leadership in advanced nuclear technologies.
Mr President, you have mentioned the geography
of our construction projects in your remarks. I would like to emphasise that,
according to the current version of the general plan, we are planning to build
38 power generator units. This, of course, requires significant mobilisation
across the industry and systematic planning. We have already begun work at nine
sites. In total, including small and floating nuclear power plants, 18 power generator
units are currently under construction in Russia.
Mr President,
Colleagues,
In addition to its major national component,
the nuclear power development programme also includes extensive international
cooperation. We are building 28 large-, medium-, and small-capacity power units
in nine countries. Projects are progressing smoothly in India, China, Turkiye,
Egypt, Iran, Bangladesh, and Hungary.
In June, we broke ground on another
project. Thank you, Mr President, for taking part personally, together with President
of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This is a unique project of a global scale.
For the first time, a nuclear power plant combining two small reactors and two
gigawatt-scale reactors is being built on a single site. In Kazakhstan, we have
nearly completed the site surveys for the construction of two VVER-1200 power
units.
To be continued.