The holding company of the Rosatom mining division is JSC Atomredmetzoloto, which consolidates Russian uranium mining assets. Key daughter companies include JSC Khiagda and JSC Dalur. Uranium One is a separate global mining company that operates directly under Rosatom with a diverse portfolio of assets in Kazakhstan, United States, and Tanzania.
The managing company of the Rosatom fuel division is JSC TVEL, which is a leading organization on the global nuclear fuel cycle front-end market and the only supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian NPPs and the nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet.
Key daughter companies include Bochvar National Research Institute for Inorganic Materials, Siberian Chemical Combine, and Chepetskiy Mechanical Plant.
The division's tasks include the fabrication of nuclear fuel, conversion and enrichment of uranium, and the production of gas centrifuges.
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Uranium enrichment is carried out at four TVEL Fuel Company plants, including Angarsk Electrochemical Plant in Angarsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Zelenogorsk Electrochemical Plant in Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Ural Electrochemical Plant in Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast, and the Siberian Chemical Plant in Seversk, Tomsk Oblast. Uranium is enriched using an advanced gas centrifuge technology to separate uranium isotopes. Depleted uranium hexafluoride is converted to an oxide form at the W-ECP unit of Zelenogorsk Electrochemical Plant.
Nuclear fuel is produced at Rosatom's Machine-building plant (JSC MSZ) and Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (JSC NCCP). The plants produce UO2-based (enriched fresh and reprocessed uranium) nuclear fuel for all models of Russian power and research reactors, as well as for many foreign power and research reactor models and for Russian ship-based power installations. The development of accident-tolerant fuel for VVER and PWR reactors has now entered the stage of testing.
MOX fuel for fast sodium reactors is produced at the Mining and Chemical Combine, while uranium-plutonium mixed fuel will be produced at the Siberian Chemical Plant, which is currently under construction. A uranium-plutonium fuel REMIX (regenerated mixture) is being tested for VVER reactors; its commercial production is expected to take place at the Mining and Chemical Combine.
SNF reprocessing is carried out at the Mayak Production Association at the RT-1 plant. The plant is currently processing the spent nuclear fuel (of various compositions) from power reactors (BN-350, VVER-440, BN-600, RBMK-1000, VVER-1000; BN-MOX), from the research reactors of Russian and foreign scientific centers, and from the reactors of submarine and surface naval fleet transport power plants.
Mechanical engineering division
The managing company is JSC Atomenergomash. It is one of Russia's largest groups of mechanical engineering enterprises offering a full range of solutions for the design, manufacture, and supply of equipment for the nuclear power industry. The division comprises more than 10 production sites, including production enterprises, engineering centers, and research organizations in Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.
According to the group's own data, 14% of nuclear power plants in the world and 40% of thermal power stations in the CIS and the Baltic states use the holding equipment. In addition, the division is the largest producer of equipment for the VVER reactor and the world's only producer of the fast-neutron reactor (BN reactor). Its enterprises are also responsible for the design and manufacturing of reactors for SMR nuclear power plants, both onshore and offshore, as well as nuclear icebreakers. Key companies include OKB Gidropress, OKBM Afrikantov, JSC Machine-Building Factory of Podolsk, and AEM-technology.
Engineering division
The managing company is JSC ASE EC, which has extensive capabilities for managing the construction of complex engineering facilities. The main business areas of the division include the design and construction of large NPPs in Russia and abroad, and developing digital technologies for managing complex engineering facilities based on the Multi-D platform. Key companies include JSC Atomenergoproekt, and JSC ATOMPROEKT.
Power engineering division
The managing company is JSC Rosenergoatom. It is the only NPP operator in Russia and a key player in the Russian electricity market. Its main business areas include power and heat generation at NPPs and acting as the operator of nuclear facilities (nuclear power plants), radiation sources, and facilities storing nuclear materials and radioactive substances. Key companies include all Russian NPPs, JSC AtomEnergoRemont, JSC AtomEnergoSbyt, and TITAN-2 construction holding.
Back-end division
The managing company is JSC Federal Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety. It is dedicated to a centralized system for management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, as well as decommissioning of hazardous nuclear and radiological facilities. Key companies include FSUE Mining and Chemical Combine, FSUE Radon, NO RWM.
R&D division
The managing company is JSC Science and Innovations. Key companies include Russian Scientific Center (RSC) – A.I. Leipunskiy IPPE, NII NPO Luch, and the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors.
Wind power division
In 2017, Rosatom decided to invest in wind turbine manufacturing, believing that rapid cost reductions in the renewable industry will become a competitive threat to nuclear power. Russia had recently offered subsidies for domestically built renewable technology. The managing company is JSC NovaWind. This Rosatom's division concentrates its efforts in advanced areas of wind energy generation technology. Key companies include WindSGC, WindSGC-2, and Atompowerindustry Trade. As per ROSATOM has commissioned a total of nine wind farms with a total capacity of 1 GW. In 2023, WPPs generated 2.27 billion kWh of electricity.
Nuclear medicine division
The managing company is JSC Rusatom Healthcare. It has been historically developed at various enterprises of the Russian nuclear industry. In 2017, Rosatom established the division to bring together assets and expertise in healthcare. The nuclear medicine division is in charge of nuclear medicine, manufacturing and distribution of radioisotope products and radiation sterilization equipment, as well as creation of integrated turnkey solutions for medicine. Key companies include JSC Isotope and NIITFA. In February 2022, Rusatom Healthcare acquired 25,001% of shares of Medscan group, the rest of shares still being hold by its major shareholder, Yevgeny Tugolukov. More than 70% of all items in the global product line of medical isotopes are produced by Rosatom, which fully meets the needs of the Russian market and exports isotope products to 50 countries worldwide.
Advanced materials and technologies division
JSC UMATEX a subsidiary, is engaged in production of carbon fibre and fibre-based items, as well as R&D and engineering support to its partners. The other subsidiaries involved are JSC Khimprominzhiniring, and LLC ALABUGA-FIBRE.
Digital products division
The managing company is the Digitalization Unit of Rosatom, which is engaged in solving tasks in three main areas:
The participation in the digitalization of Russia, as Rosatom is the center of competences of the Federal Project Digital Technologies within the National Program Digital Economy, the development of digital products for nuclear power and beyond and the internal digitalization of the Russian nuclear industry, making it independent from foreign technologies in critical areas.
Infrastructure solutions division
The managing company is JSC Rusatom Infrastructure Solutions. The company develops, builds, modernizes, maintains water supply, water purification and water treatment facilities for energy, petrochemical, food, and other industries.
Additive manufacturing division
The managing company is Rusatom Additive Technologies. It connects together the scientific and production companies of Rosatom in order to develop the area of additive production in Russia. It controls design and production of 3D-printers, additive powders, complete sets, software, and 3D-printing services.
Energy storage systems division
The managing company is LLC RENERA, which is engaged in the development of lithium-ion traction batteries for electric transport and fixed systems for energy accumulation, as well as products for emergency and uninterruptible power supply and storage systems for renewable energy.
Process control systems and electrical engineering division
The managing company is JSC Rusatom Automated Control Systems. It builds comprehensive solutions for automation of production processes, manufactures and supplies electrical equipment, designs and constructs electricity supply facilities.
Environmental solutions division
The managing company is FSUE Federal Environmental Operator.
Operations
Nuclear power plants
The management company Rosenergoatom operates all of Russia's nuclear power plants and represents the electric power division of the state corporation Rosatom. As of December 2022, 35 nuclear power plant units and one floating nuclear heat and power plant unit with a total installed capacity of 29.6 GW are in operation. The total electricity generation by nuclear power plants in 2022 amounted to 223.4 billion kWh.
In operation
As a result of reforms and reassignments in the period from 2012 to 2014, Rosatom's engineering activities were concentrated within the management company Atomenergoproekt-Atomstroyexport (NIAEP-ASE), based in Nizhny Novgorod. Earlier, Atomstroyexport was engaged in foreign construction, and a number of independent engineering institutes with the name Atomenergoproekt were engaged in the design and construction of facilities in Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod. Since October 2014 on the basis of NIAEP-ASE, Rosatom forms a unified engineering division, not including design company on nuclear power facilities and technologies Atomproekt. According to Kommersant, such a strategy is aimed at eliminating internal competition, deliberately created earlier. This measure can be effective from the economic point of view in view of a large number of domestic and foreign orders.
Under construction
Rosatom is one of the world leaders in the number of simultaneously constructed power units. As of late 2023, there are 22 units in 7 countries are under construction out of 25 nuclear power plant export projects being built worldwide.
Construction of a nuclear power plant in Kaliningrad started on 25 February 2010, but was suspended for the project to be redesigned.
There are also plans to build two more units at Leningrad NPP, two units at Smolensk NPP, two more units at Novovoronezh NPP and two more units at Kursk NPP. In mid-June 2021, Rosatom announced that two 600 MW VVER reactors will be added to Kola NPP with the first coming online in 2034. In early June 2021, construction of the BREST-OD-300 reactor started. It will be the world's first experimental demonstration power unit featuring a lead-cooled fast neutron reactor.
Past activity abroad
Rosatom was the world's largest portfolio of foreign NPP construction projects with a market share of 74%. As of the end of 2023, the portfolio of nuclear power plant construction projects abroad by Rosatom included 33 power units in 10 countries, of which 22 power units in 7 countries were under construction.
37% of nuclear reactors under construction worldwide were being built by Rosatom, usually the OKB Gidropress' VVER type. In 2012 Rosatom received $66.5 billion of foreign orders, including $28.9 billion for nuclear plant construction, $24.7 billion for uranium products and $12.9 billion for nuclear fuel exports and associated activities. In 2020, Rosatom received $138.3 billion of foreign orders, including $89.1 billion for nuclear plant construction, $13.3 billion for uranium products and $35.8 billion for nuclear fuel exports and associated activities. Nuclear power plants in China, India, and Iran, were either designed and built by Rosatom or with the corporation's participation.
In December 2013, Rosatom signed a €6.4 billion contract with Fennovoima in Finland of the single-unit Hanhikivi NPP using OKB Gidropress' VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor in the town of Pyhäjoki, with construction planned to start after 2021, but the contract was cancelled in May 2022 by Finland for Russian invasion of Ukraine. In December 2014, Rosatom and the MVM Group of Hungary signed an agreement for the construction of new station units of the Paks NPP with construction planned to start in 2022. Rosatom also started construction of Turkey's Akkuyu NPP on 3 April 2018.
Failed bids includes the cancellation of Units 3 and 4 of Khmelnytskyi NPP in Ukraine.
Small reactors and floating nuclear plants
Rosatom has practical experience operating small reactors in the Far North, including the four EGP-6 reactor-equipped power units of Bilibino NPP. In 2019, the floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov, equipped with two KLT-40 reactors, was connected to the grid in the Russian town of Pevek. Akademic Lomonosov has an electric power capacity of 70 MW and a thermal power capacity of 50 Gcal/h. Rosatom's new floating nuclear power plant projects will be equipped with RITM-200 reactors, which are used in Project 22220 icebreakers. Rosatom also has ground-based small nuclear power plant projects equipped with RITM-200 reactors. In November 2020, Rosatom announced plans to place a land-based RITM-200 SMR in the isolated town of Ust-Kuyga, Yakutia. In early August 2021, the Russian nuclear regulator granted a license to Rusatom Overseas JSC, allowing the company to build nuclear installations at nuclear power plants within the framework of the project in Yakutia.
Rosatom offers land, water, and submarine versions of the small modular reactor “Shelf” for consumers in the ≤ 10 MW power range. The company also developed the SVBR-100 lead-bismuth fast reactor for consumers in the ≤ 100 MW power range, though the latter project is currently frozen. As of 2023, the State Corporation Rosatom approved the technical design of the reactor unit and began manufacturing equipment for a land-based small nuclear power plant with a RITM-200N reactor, planned for construction in Yakutia.
Research reactors
According to the Research Reactor Database (RRDB), maintained by the IAEA, Russia has 54 research reactors, which are largely based at Rosatom enterprises and institutes. Most of Russia's research reactors were built in the USSR, in the early stages of the development of the nuclear energy sector. Today, Rosatom's largest research reactor project is the Multipurpose Fast Neutron Research Reactor (MBIR), which is currently under construction. Based in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk oblast, the reactor will be the world leader among high-flux research facilities. Its unique physical characteristics are best suited for material science experiments, such as testing innovative fuel and new coolants.
Rosatom provides support to its foreign partners in the creation of nuclear science and technology centres, including scientific laboratories and research reactors. The company is currently building the first centre of such type in Bolivia, which will be commissioned in 2024. Another contract to build similar facilities in Zambia was signed in 2018.
Two-component structure of nuclear power
In 2018, Rosatom adopted a long-term strategy through year 2010, for the development of nuclear energy in accordance with the following goals:
To form the basis for the generation of carbon-free energy and be competitive in other forms of generation of electric and thermal energy;
To promote the highest possible high-tech export of nuclear power plants, research reactors, nuclear fuel, equipment, and services in the nuclear technology market;
To ensure the conservation of organic uranium reserves for non-energy use;
To solve environmental problems and fulfill Russia's international obligations of carbon dioxide emissions reduction.
In pursuit of achieving these goals, Rosatom is transitioning to a two-component nuclear power structure that operates in a closed-loop heavy metal (uranium, plutonium, and minor actinides) fuel cycle that simultaneously involves thermal and fast reactors. VVER reactors, with their improved adjustments, were selected as thermal reactors and BN (sodium-cooled) and BREST/BR (lead-cooled) reactors were selected as fast reactors. In such a system, spent nuclear fuel is considered a valuable raw material instead of nuclear waste, as it could be further used for fresh fuel fabrication. Rosatom is currently at the first stage of transitioning to a two-component structure.
Icebreaker fleet
Since 2008, the structure of Rosatom includes the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet, which is the largest in the world with five nuclear-powered icebreakers, a container ship, and four service vessels. Its tasks include navigation on the routes of the Northern Sea Route and rescue operations in ice. Operation and maintenance of the fleet is carried out by FSUE Atomflot, also known as Rosatomflot, a company based in Murmansk.
