Nuclear Power in Russia

Main article: Power in Russia

NPP in Russia

2024: Nuclear power plants began to be built near the gold mine in Yakutia for 56.1 billion rubles

On February 14, 2024, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a government order ensuring the start of construction of a low-capacity nuclear power plant (ASMM) near the Kyuchus gold mining project in Yakutia. The cost of the facility is estimated at 56.1 billion rubles. Read more here.

2022: Number of operating reactor plants - 37

Data as of 2022

2015:10 NPP in operation

As of 2015, 10 nuclear power plants are operated in Russia, a total of 32 power units.

Including:

• Balakovo NPP
• Baltic NPP
• Beloyarskaya NPP
• Bilibin NPP
• Kalinin NPP
• Kola NPP
• Kursk NPP
• Novovoronezh NPP
• Rostov (Volgodon) NPP
• Smolensk NPP

In 2015, the total capacity of nuclear power plants in Russia is 24.2 gigawatts and they generate about 16% of all electricity. At the same time, in the European part of the country, their share in the total production is 20%, and in the North-West - 39%.

2024

In Russia, the lowest capital expenditures for the construction of nuclear power plants

2023

Russia has created a technology for cheap storage of spent nuclear fuel

Russia has created a technology for cheap storage of spent nuclear fuel. The new development at the end of August 2023 was told at the Kurchatov Institute.

As the head of the department of the Kurchatov complex of the NBIX-nature-like technologies of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center Alexei Frolo clarified, scientists are working to justify safe dry storage in sealed gas-filled containers. As a result, a calculation code will be created that will allow justifying the modes of both dry storage, transport, and various emergency situations.

Russia has created a technology for cheap storage of spent nuclear fuel

According to Frolov, by bringing the technology to industrial implementation, Russia will be able to reduce the cost of building spent nuclear fuel storage facilities and increase the country's competitiveness in the field of nuclear power.

Now there is a tendency in the world that it has become very expensive to transport spent nuclear fuel to us, and from many blocks that we build abroad, we take fuel back to us. Dry storage facilities will allow storing spent assemblies directly at facilities or in separate territorial zones, "he explained at the end of August 2023.

The head of the department of the Kurchatov complex of NBIX-nature-like technologies of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center cited data according to which, by the end of August 2023, about 450 nuclear reactors are operating in the world, which annually yield about 900 tons of spent nuclear fuel. This is a complex problem, the solution of which has been postponed for the future. In Russia, spent nuclear fuel is stored in so-called basin-type storage facilities, which have many disadvantages, the main of which is high capital costs for construction. The development of the Kurchatov Institute is designed to solve this problem.^[1]

Uganda enters into agreement with the Russian Federation on the construction of nuclear power plants

Uganda has entered into an agreement with Russia to build a nuclear power plant. This was announced on July 27, 2023 by the president of this African country, Yoveri Kaguta Museveni, at a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Read more here.

Rosatom presented fuel assemblies for Western-designed nuclear reactors

The specialists of the fuel company TVEL and other enterprises Rosatom involved in the creation of nuclear fuel presented China in the strategy for the development of nuclear fuel for Russian VVER design reactors, as well as fuel solutions for low-power reactors. This is stated in the message of TVEL dated July 24, 2023. Particular attention was paid to the Russian Russian proposal for the design of fuel assemblies (fuel assemblies) and fuel cycles for western design light-water reactors PWR based on the Russian design fuel TVSK. More. here

Russia has created a new class of solvents for the processing of nuclear waste

On July 11, 2023, Russian researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) announced the development of a new class of solvents for the processing of nuclear waste. Read more here.

The Institute of Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences received 2.5 billion rubles for the creation of nuclear fuel processing technology

The Institute of Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated as IVTE URO RAS) received 2.5 billion rubles for the creation of nuclear fuel processing technology. The scientific director of the institution, Yuri Zaikov, announced this in June 2023. Read more here.

Head of Rosatom - Drones are trying to attack Russian nuclear power plants more and more often

On June 8, 2023, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev spoke about the increase in the number of drone attacks on Russian nuclear power plants. He assured that nuclear power plants are reliably protected.

There are more drones. And including to the Zaporizhzhya station. Together with the Russian Guard, we are doing everything to protect our nuclear power plants both physically and from the point of view of cyber attacks. Attempts to disrupt the work of the stations do not stop, "Likhachev said on the sidelines of the Eurasian Congress (quoted by Interfax).

Head of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev

According to him, attempts by drones to enter the operating area of ​ ​ nuclear power plants are recorded every day. At the same time, hacker attacks on nuclear power plants are also carried out, as well as information.

Probably, not a day passes so that we do not record fake reports of planted bombs, of impending terrorist attacks. We respond to each of them, separate measures are taken for each of them, compensating for the so-called measures with both the Russian Guard and the FSB. We can say that today our nuclear power plants are reliably protected regardless of where they are, - said the head of Rosatom.

He admitted that the situation with attacks on nuclear power plants is not easy from a psychological point of view:

The most important material that is being destroyed is the psyche of people,... but we are doing everything to support the team in this difficult time both morally and financially. And of course, we get a very high return from the team.

On April 22, 2023, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Together with Russia movement, said that Russian units protecting the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZPP) destroyed more than 70 drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) with anti-drone guns. In the same month, Renat Karchaa, advisor to the general director of the Rosenergoatom concern, said that the windows in the turbine hall at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant were knocked out as a result of an attack by drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.^[2]

2022

Growth in nuclear fuel and technology exports by 20%

In 2022, exports of Russian nuclear products and technologies increased by 20%. This was announced in mid-February 2023 by the Royal Association of the UK Defense Research Institute.

Nuclear fuel supplies from Russia to the EU reached their highest level since the end of 2019 in 2022. So, according to the institute's estimates, in December 2022, the total volume of nuclear exports of the Russian Federation amounted to $201.5 million. Since 2020, this monthly export figure has not exceeded $160 million. At the same time, the Royal Association of the British Defense Research Institute (RUSI) does not yet take into account the supply of nuclear fuel to Iran.

Export Dynamics of Russian Nuclear Technologies

The RUSI report says that the European Union and the United States have not yet imposed sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry, since the Russian Federation, unlike many other countries, actively developed nuclear power and remained one of the few suppliers of such fuel for 2022. Exclusive trade data collected by RUSI show that in 2022 sales of Russian nuclear fuel and technology abroad increased by more than 20%. The Russian Federation is also actively purchasing products from Egypt, China, and India.

According to RUSI analysts, nuclear trade creates relationships that last for a long time. It includes large upfront costs and long-term agreements to maintain stations, train their operators and replenish fuel supplies. Such financial and technical cooperation can strengthen diplomatic ties with various states. Russia continued to invest in nuclear fuel and technology production after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, even as the industry atrophied in other parts of the world.

According to information, the Bloomberg Russian state holding Rosatom for February 2023 supplies about a fifth of the enriched uranium required for 92 reactors in the United States. In Europe, enterprises that generate electricity for $100 million people depend on the company. Figures show that members, NATO including,, and Bulgaria, Czech Republic Hungary Slovakia continued to buy Rosatom fuel in 2022, despite requests to stop trading Ukraine after the Russian Federation launched a special military operation in Ukraine at the end of February 2022.

In February 2023, the head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said that the company was negotiating with about 10 countries on new projects, and three or four were close to signing intergovernmental deals. According to Likhachev, in all countries where Rosatom is already building nuclear power plants, everything is going according to plan. The volume of Rosatom's supplies abroad in 2022 exceeded $10 billion, an increase of about 15%.^[3]

Russia is 10 years ahead of competitors in nuclear fast neutron reactors

In terms of nuclear fast neutron reactors, other countries are about one decade behind Russia. This was announced on November 22, 2022 by the scientific director of the project direction "Breakthrough" of Rosatom Evgeny Adamov.

But the pace of development of our competitors is very high and we will be able to lose this lead by a decade soon enough if we do not move as quickly as before, "he said (quoted by TASS).

Russia is 10 years ahead of competitors in nuclear reactors

By November 2022, in the Tomsk Region, within the framework of the Proryv project direction, Rosatom is building an innovative reactor plant with a lead coolant BRYeST-OD-300.

The task of the "Breakthrough" is to create a new technological platform for nuclear power based on a closed nuclear fuel cycle. For the first time in the world, a unique system will be created that will become practically autonomous and independent of external energy supplies.

Irradiated fuel after processing will be sent to refabrication with multiple recycling of fissile materials - thus this system will gradually become practically autonomous and independent of external energy supplies.

According to Vladislav Korogodin, director of life cycle management for the nuclear fuel cycle and Rosatom NPP, only at the Beloyarsk NPP, where the fast neutron reactor BN-800 loaded with mixed uranium-plutonium fuel, more than 300 tons of natural uranium are saved per year.

According to RIA Novosti, by November 2022, Rosatom is working to "interface" the operation of traditional water-water reactors with fast neutron reactors, which will help solve the problem of exhaustion of natural uranium resources.

In addition, scientists from Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University are developing a fundamentally new nuclear reactor for the production of hydrogen. It is assumed that in addition to gas, the reactor will generate heat and electricity.^[4]

Nuclear power plants account for 20% of energy generation in Russia

Until 2035, 16 nuclear units will be built in Russia

The Russian government has set the task of bringing the share of nuclear power plants in the total energy balance to 25% by 2045. To fulfill it, a large-scale construction program will be deployed. It will be performed in parallel with the decommissioning of RBMK reactors. Rosatom announced this on May 26, 2022. Until 2035, 16 nuclear units will be built in Russia.

If we talk about the prospects for the development of nuclear power until 2045, then we face serious challenges, - ​skazal Alexander Shutikov. - ​Na the end of 2021, the share of nuclear power plants was 19.7% in the total energy balance of Russia, there is an order from the government by 2045 to bring the share to 25%. The general layout until 2035 was approved with specific sites, specific blocks. One of the main challenges is that serious capacities are being knocked out in parallel: the first and second units of the Leningrad NPP and the first Kursk NPP with RBMK reactors have already been stopped. In 2023, it is planned to shut down the second unit of the Kursk nuclear power plant. Until 2030, their number can reach 10. These are non-replaceable capacities, and therefore efforts must be made to improve production efficiency so as not to lose production in the near future.

Based on the results of work in 2020-2021, we adopted an appropriate program, which includes measures to improve the reliability of power units, strengthen leadership of managers, develop an integrated management system, improve discipline, qualifications and responsibility at all levels. The development of a safety culture will also continue, - ​dobavil Alexander Shutikov.

The tasks until 2024 include the transfer of all power units from VVER-1200 to an 18-month fuel cycle. To increase the efficiency of electricity production, nuclear power engineers expect to switch to technical certification of equipment once every 10 years on units operating in the design life, instead of four years, as was the case according to the old rules. Rosenergoatom is working on this task together with Gidro­pressom.

Work will be organized at the site of the Kola AES-2: the main task until the end of 2024 is ​opredelitsya with a reactor plant (VVER-S or VVER-600. - "SR"). Preparation of the ASMM construction with RITM-200 in Yakutia will begin. An investment project for the production of hydrogen by electrolysis at the Kola NPP will be launched, - ​perechislil Alexander Shutikov.

As for foreign projects, the division will take part in the commissioning of the second unit of the Belarusian NPP and the first unit of the Rooppur NPP, the construction of the Akkuyu NPP. Other tasks include ​soprovozhdeniye scheduled ­ preventive repairs at the Armenian and Belarusian nuclear power plants, Kudankulam, Kozlodui and Tianwan nuclear power plants, training personnel for Akkuyu, Ruppura, Paksha-2, El ­ Dabaa. The first shipments of cobalt-60 from the Smolensk and Kursk nuclear power plants will begin.

In order for all the plans to be implemented, it is extremely important for us to form new supply chains within the framework of import substitution, find analogues for some components, ensure the extension of the equipment resource, replace the equipment with domestic equipment during modernization, master the production of spare parts (spare parts, tools and accessories. - "SR") at Russian factories, switch to domestic ion-exchange resins and reagents, as well as to domestic software, "​zakonchil Alexander Shutikov.

Mishustin allocated 5 billion rubles for the study of atomic energy

In March 2022, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order, which allocated 5 billion rubles from the reserve fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the study of atomic energy. We are talking about the implementation of the program "Development of technology, technologies and scientific research in the field of the use of atomic energy in the Russian Federation for the period until 2024."

According to the press service of the Cabinet, additional allocations are planned to be directed to the development of controlled fusion technologies and innovative plasma technologies.

In March 2022, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order, which allocated 5 billion rubles from the reserve fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the study of atomic energy

The budget funds will be received by the Ministry of Education and Science - it is planned to allocate almost 3 billion rubles to it, as well as the state corporation Rosatom and the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, which will receive 1 billion rubles each.

The results of work and research are to be reported by December 31, 2022. And by February 1, 2023, Rosatom, the Ministry of Education and Science and the Kurchatov Institute should submit reports to the government on the effectiveness of using the allocated budget funds.

In May 2021, a tokamak T-15MD thermonuclear installation was launched at the Kurchatov Institute with the participation of Mishustin. With its help, scientists want to study ways to obtain thermonuclear energy.

I think you have a lot of ideas. We just today noted that controlled fusion can become an inexhaustible source of energy, clean, reliable energy. Scientists around the world dream of this, "the Prime Minister said.

According to him, the study of thermonuclear energy will give a powerful impetus to the development of power, materials science and a number of related industries.

The decree "On the development of technology, technologies and scientific research in the field of the use of atomic energy in the Russian Federation" was signed by President Vladimir Putin on April 16, 2020.^[5]

Russia has created a new nuclear fuel, which is cheaper and safer than analogues

On February 3, 2022, Rosatom announced the creation of a new nuclear fuel, which is said to be cheaper and safer than its counterparts. We are talking about the so-called ATF (Accident Tolerant Fuel) technology. Read more here.

2021

9% of nuclear reactors in the world are in the Russian Federation, another 10% are built using Russian technologies

Russia has a dominant position in global nuclear reactor technology supply chains, according to a report released on May 23, 2022 by Columbia University's Center for Global Energy Policy.

Since the early 21st century, Russia has exported more reactors than any other major supplier. In 2021, 439 nuclear power reactors were in operation: 38 of them were in Russia, and 42 of them operated in other countries were of the Russian VVER type (15 of them in Ukraine). At the end of 2021, 15 reactors using Russian technologies were under construction in other countries.

9% of nuclear reactors in the world are in the Russian Federation, another 10% are built using Russian technologies

Countries that already have Russian models of nuclear reactors are somewhat dependent and turn to Russia for repair parts and services. Even for countries that do not have VVER - including the United States - Russia is the main provider of a number of services related to the production of nuclear fuel.

According to the report, Russia produces approximately 6% of the total annually produced raw uranium. However, uranium does not go directly from the mine to the nuclear reactor. It must go through conversion and enrichment before it can be used as fuel in a nuclear reactor.

Here Russia is the dominant player. According to the report, in 2020 Russia owned 40% of the total uranium processing infrastructure in the world, and in 2018 - 46% of all uranium enrichment facilities in the world. The price of Russian enrichment services (described as "separation working units" or "SWU") has remained low for many years.

According to the report, some types of nuclear reactors use uranium with significantly higher enrichment than in light-water reactors: instead of 3-5%, enrichment can reach 15-19.75%. The only commercial source of such high-grade low-enriched uranium (HALEU) is Russia.^[6][7]

The government allocated 80 billion rubles to Rosatom for the development of small nuclear power plants

The government allocated Rosatom almost 80 billion rubles for the development of small nuclear power plants (nuclear power plants). This became known on August 16, 2021.

According to Kommersant, we are talking about the initiative of socio-economic development "New Nuclear power" for 2021-2024, for the implementation of which 24 billion rubles will be allocated from the federal budget, as well as up to 55.9 billion rubles from the National Welfare Fund (NWF) of the Russian Federation.

This amount is less than Rosatom asked for in the draft project of the socio-economic initiative (one of 42 applying for funds from the NWF) "New Nuclear power" under the "Small Atom" program - 86.25 billion rubles for 2021-2024. At the same time, it was proposed to allocate 19.66 billion rubles from the budget, the rest of the funds - from unnamed extrabudgetary sources.

The government provided Rosatom with 80 billion rubles for the development of small nuclear power plants

The development and construction of reference ground-based low-capacity nuclear power plants is the main goal of the state corporation's initiative. In particular, we are talking about the construction of the first ground-based nuclear power plant at the RITM-200N reactor (55 MW) in the Yakut village of Ust-Kuiga for the Kyuchussky gold ore deposit. Construction is planned to begin in 2024. The commissioning of the facility is scheduled for 2030.

Small nuclear power plants are needed by Rosatom to expand its export portfolio, the newspaper writes. The state corporation predicts an increase in demand for small nuclear power plants, and among potential customers are considering the countries of Latin America,, and Africa Asia Eastern. By Europe 2030, Rosatom plans to occupy 20% of this market.

According to VTB Capital analyst Vladimir Sklyar, for countries that have already relied on nuclear power, such projects will be interesting in terms of both replacing coal generation, taking into account savings in transport costs, and large regional boiler houses.^[8]

Putin ordered to increase funding for nuclear technologies by 60%

At the end of July 2021, it became known that the president Russia Vladimir Putin supported the proposal of the head of "" Rosatom Alexey Likhachev to increase the amount of funding for the program for the development of new nuclear technologies by almost 60%, to 552.7 billion rubles.

According to Kommersant, Likhachev wrote a letter with such a proposal to Putin on July 6, 2021. It also talks about the possibility of extending the program until 2030 to reduce the burden on the budget, the newspaper refers to the document.

Vladimir Putin ordered to increase funding for nuclear technologies by 60%

Likhachev explained in a letter that the current amount of funding "will not allow in the foreseeable future to maintain the country's competitive advantages in a number of areas - primarily in the field of closing the nuclear fuel cycle."

The Rosatom program is aimed at the construction of two VVER-TOI power units in the Kursk region, an experimental MBIR reactor, small nuclear power plants and the development of a closed nuclear cycle. The latter, according to the head of the "electric power" department of the Center for Energy of the Moscow School of Management "Skolkovo" Aleksei Khokhlov, will help to deal with the problem of spent nuclear fuel. This is important for the inclusion of nuclear power plants in the list of areas of "green" EU activities.

The scheme for financing the program by the end of July 2021 is still being discussed, but the priority is the option with an extension of six years, until 2030, the newspaper notes. According to her, part of the proposals to increase funding for program projects was also included in the new project of the state corporation "New Nuclear power" until 2030, the cost of which is estimated at 506.34 billion rubles for 2021-2030.

Putin supported the proposal of the head of Rosatom, painting the document for Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kiriyenko. According to the publication, he gave the following resolution:

We need to move forward. Likhachev is right. I ask you to propose an algorithm of coordinated actions.[9]

Construction of the Brest-OD-300 nuclear reactor began near Tomsk for 100 billion rubles

On June 8, 2021, Rosatom announced the start of construction of a 300 MW nuclear power unit with an innovative fast neutron reactor with a lead coolant in Seversk, Tomsk Region. A reactor called Brest-OD-300 will be created at the site of the Siberian Chemical Plant. Read more here.

2000: The first industry to reach the pre-perestroika level of production

In 2000, nuclear power was the first industry in Russia to reach the pre-perestroika level of production. Since 1998, the country's nuclear power plants have provided an annual increase in electricity production by an average of 7 billion kWh by 2015.

1954: The world's first nuclear power plant was built in Obninsk

The world's first nuclear power plant was built in 1954 in Obninsk (Kaluga region). It was equipped with a uranium-graphite reactor of the AM type ("Atom Mirny") with a capacity of 5 MW. This nuclear power plant worked accident-free for about 50 years.

Obninsk NPP 26.06.1954 commissioned

Notes