Positive energy: a unique nuclear system is being prepared for launch in Russia

By 2030, Russia will launch the world's first nuclear power system with a closed fuel cycle. This technology will solve the problem of the accumulation of radioactive waste, said Vladimir Putin, addressing the participants of the World Atomic Week on September 25. Participants from more than 100 countries gathered in Moscow for it. Belarus, Armenia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia were represented at the highest level. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi also attended the forum, and stated the need for cooperation with the BRICS Bank to finance the construction of new nuclear power plants. What was discussed during the first day of the World Atomic Week and why foreign countries want to cooperate with the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear energy is in the Izvestia article.

What Putin said at the World Atomic Week

Participants from more than 100 countries came to the World Atomic Week, which started on September 25 in Moscow, the press service of Rosatom reported. Among the most representative delegations were Belarus led by Alexander Lukashenko, Myanmar with Acting President Min Aung Hlaing, Armenia and Ethiopia, which were represented by Prime Ministers Nikol Pashinyan and Abiy Ahmed. The forum also brought together high-ranking representatives of Iran, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Niger, and key nuclear organizations. Among them are the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, the head of the World Nuclear Association, Sama Bilbao y Leon, and the head of the BRICS Atomic Energy platform, Elzy Pooley.

Vladimir Putin began the meeting with the heads of foreign delegations in a relaxed atmosphere at the Atom Pavilion at VDNH. Later, together with the high—ranking guests, the President of the Russian Federation visited the exposition of the Atom Museum. Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Rosatom, personally conducted the tour.

Perhaps the most remarkable exhibit of the museum is a mock—up of a "musical" nuclear reactor.

— The music for the atomic reactor was written by artificial intelligence. All you are hearing now is not the sounds of an orchestra, but the sounds born in the heart of our supercomputer," explained the head of the state corporation.

Russia, like no one else, understands the need to develop nuclear energy. For example, in the next decade, the consumption of electricity by data centers will more than triple, Vladimir Putin noted in his speech at the forum's plenary session. The Russian Federation is already creating modular data processing systems at its nuclear power plants, as they are the best way to ensure uniform and constant power supply.

"Today, only Russia has the expertise in the entire technological chain of nuclear energy, and due to their safety and resistance to external influences, nuclear power plants built according to Russian design are the most in demand in the world," Vladimir Putin stressed.

The President emphasized that the Russian Federation is developing projects for small nuclear power plants, both land-based and floating, and will soon produce them in series.

According to Putin, the absolute priority for our country is to ensure nuclear safety and physical protection of nuclear facilities and installations. This applies to uranium mining, reactor operation, and spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management. And here Russia is already one step ahead.

— Now I'm coming to the main thing, which I think Russia can be proud of, — said Vladimir Putin.

And he announced that the world's first nuclear power system with a closed fuel cycle is planned to be launched in the Tomsk Region in 2030.

— This is in the full sense a revolutionary development of Russian scientists and engineers. What does it mean? This means that almost the entire volume — 95% of the spent fuel — will be repeatedly used in reactors again. Such a mechanism will make it possible in the future to almost completely solve the problem of the accumulation of radioactive waste and, what is also extremely important, to essentially remove the issue of uranium security," Putin said.

If we take a conventional nuclear power plant, then this is a separate site where nuclear fuel is produced. After extraction from the core, it lies in the pool for five years and is then transported for processing, the editor-in-chief of the analytical journal Geoenergetics explained to Izvestia. Info" Boris Martsinkevich.

— And in this case, there is no transportation. The fabrication of fuel and the processing of already irradiated fuel take place on site. There is zero waste. No one else has such technology," the expert said.

According to estimates by the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development, all the uranium resources on the planet, even under an optimistic scenario, will be completely exhausted by 2090. Against this background, the Russian Federation is already working on the creation of fundamentally new and more efficient technologies, the president said.

Despite the importance of technological leadership, the head of the Russian Federation also noted the need for international cooperation.

— I consider it necessary to build modern models of financing the construction of nuclear power plants, to involve international financial institutions and development banks in such projects, — the President noted.

Vladimir Putin recalled that at the beginning of 2025, the New BRICS Development Bank confirmed its readiness to finance nuclear projects, and at the end of 2024, at the initiative of Russia, a mechanism for coordinating the efforts of the countries of the association, the Atomic Energy Platform, was created.

Later in his speech, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, expressed interest in cooperation with the NDB, noting that the agency could conclude an agreement on mutual understanding with the bank.

— Of the 100% of nuclear power units under construction in the world, 87% are owned by Rosatom and Chinese nuclear corporations. And for further development, we need a financial instrument. If the BRICS Bank starts cooperating with the IAEA, it will be a big step for the nuclear power industry," Boris Martsinkevich believes.

Russia's role in the global nuclear energy industry

During their speeches at the plenary session, the forum guests repeatedly mentioned the importance and necessity of cooperation with Russia in the field of peaceful atom. In particular, Alexander Lukashenko said that he was preparing to discuss with Vladimir Putin the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Belarus.

"Frankly speaking, Vladimir Vladimirovich and I will consult tomorrow, talk and make a decision on the construction of a second nuclear power plant in the Republic of Belarus," he said.

It should be recalled that the first unit of the Belarusian NPP under the Russian project was commissioned in June 2021. Lukashenko also declared his readiness to participate together with the Russian Federation in the construction of nuclear power plants in other countries.

The representative of Niger addressed the Russian Federation with a specific proposal on cooperation. In particular, we are talking about the construction of a nuclear power plant in the republic jointly with Rosatom under the supervision of the IAEA. Moscow is interested in such proposals, Alexey Likhachev noted.

— The fact that we are sitting at this table is evidence that Russia is acting nobly. It shares technologies," said Niger's Mining minister, Ousmane Abarshi.

Ethiopia is also ready to start cooperating with Russia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said.

As part of the World Atomic Week, Vladimir Putin has several bilateral meetings scheduled, during which such issues will be discussed.

The construction of nuclear power plants in foreign countries of the USSR began back in the 1960s - the first such project was a station in the GDR. Currently, Rosatom's package of foreign orders amounts to at least 39 power units in 10 countries around the world. Last year, the total cost of these projects exceeded $200 billion.

For example, since 2011, Russia has been working on the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. Since 2010, Moscow has been cooperating with Ankara: the countries are building the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Mersin province in southeastern Turkey. The project is planned to be fully completed by 2028. After the agreement was signed in 2015, the first nuclear power plant in Egypt is also under construction — so far the only such Rosatom project on the African continent. According to the Minister of Electric Power and Renewable Energy of the Arab state, Mahmoud Esmat, the construction schedule for Al-Dabaa in 2025 will be completed by 40%.

The Kudankulam NPP is also being built in India, and existing plants are operating in Iran and Uzbekistan in cooperation with the Russian Federation. China also considers cooperation with the Russian Federation in the field of peaceful atom to be a priority. Together, the strategic partners are building the Xudapu NPP in Liaoning Province, as well as the Tianwan NPP in Jiangsu Province.

Despite pressure from the EU, the Paks NPP continues to operate in Hungary, and construction of Paks-2 may begin in November. For this reason, at the request of Budapest, the United States lifted its sanctions from the project.

Preliminary agreements on the construction of power units are being discussed or have already been concluded with Brazil, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. Rosatom also intends to cooperate with Indonesia, which is currently choosing future construction partners.

The field of small nuclear power plants is also actively developing, and in particular the Russian "know-how" — small floating nuclear power plants. They are very mobile and capable of providing stable energy to a city with a population of up to 100,000 people or several industrial facilities. The Russian Federation is one of the world leaders here. Rosatom has created the world's first such station, Akademik Lomonosov, which has been successfully operating since May 2020 in the city of Pevek in Chukotka. Next up are the island states of Southeast Asia. For example, Russia and Malaysia are already preparing an intergovernmental agreement on the supply of floating nuclear power plants.

— Russia is undoubtedly very powerfully strengthening its position in the nuclear field, developing new technologies and expanding relevant international cooperation on a global scale. The President rightly noted that Moscow is helping and will continue to help partners make a breakthrough in development. We are on the verge of breakthrough changes in this area and are ready to enter this new period as one of the undisputed leaders," Oleg Karpovich, Vice Rector of the Diplomatic Academy, told Izvestia.

The West is hindering this work, seeking to weaken Russia's ties with the countries of the Global South and the Global East through sanctions pressure. However, such actions only have the opposite effect, strengthening the position of the Russian Federation and accelerating the implementation of joint projects with the majority of the world's states that are losing confidence in Europe and the United States, the expert noted.