State of the Russian Nuclear Power Industry in 2022

In the report, RSEU experts and partners present the information on the status and the problems of the nuclear industry in Russia, as well as the activities of Rosatom, the nuclear state-owned corporation, in 2022. The report is in Russian and a summary in English is available at the end of the report. 

Rosatom is the successor of the Soviet nuclear industry. Along with numerous nuclear facilities, the company inherited the practice of secrecy, hushing up problems, undemocratic decision-making, and faking public participation. Nuclear power continues to be the source of problems and threats. The likelihood of them manifesting is increased by the aging equipment of the majority of operating reactors, as well as climate change, and the current political situation. 

The sanctions imposed on Russia in 2022 did affect Rosatom’s plans: the government of Finland terminated the contract with the corporation for the construction of a power unit of Hanhikivi-1 nuclear power plant. However, overall, the company’s business is going on as usual: the construction of new power units both in Russia and abroad continues, and the agreements regarding the import of spent nuclear fuel to Russia from abroad, including from the EU, remain in force. In addition, Rosatom is implementing so-called alternative projects, including the production of yellow hydrogen and the construction of wind farms. However, their share is so small that they may only be regarded as projects that are meant to greenwash an actually dirty company image  

The content is following: 

The Current State of Nuclear Power in Russia by Daria Matveenkova

The Role of Regions in Decision-Making Related to Nuclear Projects by Oleg Bodrov

Water, Heat, and Nuclear Reactors by Yuri Ivanov

Current Trends in Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management Related to the Implementation of Russia’s Intergovernmental Agreements on the Use of Nuclear Energy by Andrey Talevlin

Hydrogen produced by nuclear energy (Yellow Hydrogen) by Yuri Ivanov

Russian Nuclear Power Industry Status Report is an annual publication by the RSEU Program “Against Nuclear and Radiation Threats”. Previous reports are available at https://rusecounion.ru/nuclearstatusreport