In a new year interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel, extended extracts of which have been reported by the in-house magazine Strana Rosatom, Likhachev said that in 2025 the goals for the state corporation had been exceeded "despite all the difficulties".
These included the impact of sanctions on the proposed Russian nuclear power projects in Hungary and in Turkey. For the Paks II project in Hungary, he noted that "towards the end of the year, we got the opportunity to speed up the implementation of the Hungarian project" with first concrete set to be poured in February.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project in Turkey "was under pressure, where Siemens refused to supply, and USD2 billion of investments were frozen ... but we did not stop for a minute and will do everything to move on", with Likhachev saying that preparations are taking place for start-up operations. "We will do everything to make Turkey's nuclear energy a reality this year."
In the interview, he said that the first unit at Rooppur in Bangladesh "is almost ready to start start-up operations. Much will now depend on the operating organisation, on the national regulator" and in China he said that at "the seventh unit of the Tianwan NPP and the third unit of the Xudabao (also known as Xudapu) NPP we are also waiting for physical start-ups".
On financing of new nuclear, he said that although the regulator can confirm operation for 60 years "we are confident that each of the units that we are creating today will work for up to 100 years". "Therefore, financial and economic models are complex, with a very long period of return on investment." He said that Rosatom was working "to attract debt financing in yuan, on the international market, issuing bonds ... such work is under way with the regulator. There is talk about attracting investors to the Akkuyu project and our projects related to the development of the Northern Sea Route".
The interview also included plans to continue to develop the Northern Sea Route - and its associated fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers - as well as fourth-generation nuclear power complexes with closed fuel cycles and "creating a system distributed throughout the country for the reprocessing and refabrication of all nuclear fuel cycle waste, all used fuel, while also increasing the level of reactor safety".
On the issue of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is close to the frontline of Russian and Ukrainian forces and which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, he said that 2025 had seen licences issued, including for operation of the first unit. It could begin generating electricity "as soon as the situation allows", he said, adding "we can talk about international cooperation in the commercial aspect" of the plant "but the safety and operation ... must, of course, be ensured by the Russian operating organisation, acting in accordance with Russian law".
As well as targets for the coming year, Likhachev stressed the longer-term "challenge" of needing to create as much new nuclear capacity in Russia by 2042 as there currently is - "in less than 20 years". Of 2025, he said: "The year was challenging. But it was still a triumphant year: despite all the difficulties, Rosatom met its goals ... if there were any issues we didn't resolve by the end of the year, we at least created a platform for further progress and embarking on a sustainable development trajectory."
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