Rosatom says projects for 18 nuclear units being implemented

Outlining financial results for the first half of the year, Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said the aim was to increase revenues to RUB4 trillion (USD51.3 billion) by 2028, Tass reported, which would be an increase of nearly 18% on this year.

According to the in-house publication Strana Rosatom’s report of the speech, Likhachev said: "Productivity must be increased by 12% annually. This will allow for a 10% annual wage increase. Profitability must grow by 20% annually. This will allow us to maintain development projects. This year, we plan to reduce costs by 5%, and in 2028, to reduce costs cumulatively by more than 10% compared with 2025. This will allow us to achieve increased productivity and profitability in the face of a generally negative economic environment.

"Under the current circumstances, Rosatom is maintaining a substantial investment programme. We immediately abandoned a number of projects or postponed their implementation to a later date, guided by several criteria, the main one being efficiency through 2030 - that is, greater profit and revenue per ruble invested. And, of course, without compromising the fulfillment of state objectives. The final size of the investment programme exceeds RUB900 billion. It remains one of the largest in the country.”

Russia's energy strategy includes plans for 38 new nuclear power units with a combined capacity of 29.3 GW and a 25% share of generation from nuclear by 2045. Likhachev said that projects for 18 new nuclear power units at nine sites were now in "various stages of implementation", with an objective this year to prepare for first concrete at three of the projects in 2027.

"A preliminary site has been identified in Primorye; we will be building VVER-1000 reactors. We are currently conducting survey work, conducting safety assessments, and formalising the land for construction," he said, with the other two construction starts due to be at  Beloyarsk for the BN-1200 and at the Smolensk nuclear power plant.

In the current year, Rosatom expects to "significantly exceed" the target to generate 214 billion kWh "through additional generation from the new unit at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, reduced maintenance, and overall improved plant efficiency".

In its results Rosatom, which reports an average headcount of 402,300 people, said it is also aiming to continue growing its North Sea Route operations and is forecasting a record of 40 million tonnes of freight volume for the year.