Rosatom
State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation,, or Rosatom State Corporation, is a Russian state corporation headquartered in Moscow that specializes in nuclear energy, nuclear non-energy goods and high-tech products. It was established in 2007 and comprises more than 350 enterprises, including scientific research organizations, a nuclear weapons complex, and the world's only nuclear icebreaker fleet.
The organization is the largest electricity generating company in Russia, producing 217.4 TWh of electricity, 20.28% of the country's total electricity production. The corporation ranks first in overseas nuclear power plant construction, responsible for 90% of global nuclear technology exports: 22 nuclear power plant units, at different stages of development, in 7 countries, as of December 2024. Rosatom also manufactures equipment, produces isotopes for nuclear medicine, carries out research, and conducts material studies. It also produces supercomputers and software as well as different nuclear and non-nuclear products. Rosatom plans to further develop renewable energy and wind power. Four nuclear power plants are being built in Russia: The Kursk NPP-2 project includes four power units with Russian VVER-TOI reactor installations. Power Units No. 7 and No. 8 of the Leningrad NPP-2, equipped with VVER-1200 reactors, are being constructed to replace Power Units No. 3 and No. 4 with RBMK-1000 reactors. The Smolensk NPP-2 is a station designed to replace the retiring capacities of the operating units of the Smolensk NPP. The construction of Power Units No. 1 and No. 2 of the Smolensk NPP-2 is planned under the General Scheme for the Placement of Electric Power Facilities until 2035. Rosatom has a 38% world market share and in 2019 led in global uranium enrichment services and covers 17% of the global nuclear fuel market.
The state corporation is authorized on behalf of the state to fulfill Russia's international obligations in the field of the use of nuclear energy and of non-proliferation of nuclear materials. Rosatom is also involved with large-scale projects such as ITER and FAIR.
As of February 2021, the total portfolio orders of Rosatom reached $250 billion. According to the 2023 corporate report, its 10-year foreign order portfolio stood at $127.1 billion, while revenue reached $16.2 billion. The 10-year order portfolio for new products stood at ₽1,110.1 billion while revenue reached ₽261.1 billion.
Certain divisions and business lines of Rosatom were reoriented during wartime toward tasks directly or indirectly connected with military needs: the production of components and services demanded by the Ministry of Defense, increased involvement in projects of geopolitical significance, as well as the reinforcement of internal financial flows through areas “untypical” for the civilian nuclear sector.
The involvement of Rosatom in military and paramilitary operations increases systemic nuclear security risks — from uncontrolled changes in the operation of nuclear power plants to threats during the transportation and storage of nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.
History
Origins and establishment
Several Soviet and Russian government entities with different tasks are among the Rosatom predecessors. On 26 June 1953, the Council of Ministers transformed the First Main Directorate in charge of nuclear weapons program into the Ministry of Medium Machine Building. The ministry was entrusted with the development of the civic nuclear power program. In 1989, Minsredmash and the Ministry of Atomic Energy merged to form the Ministry of Nuclear Engineering and Industry of the USSR.The Ministry for Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation was established as a successor to the Russian part of the Ministry of Nuclear Engineering and Industry of the USSR on 29 January 1992, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The newly created ministry received about 80% of the enterprises of the union department, including 9 nuclear power plants with 28 power units. Under this name, the ministry existed until 9 March 2004, when it was transformed into the Federal Agency on Atomic Energy.
On 1 December 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law adopted by the Federal Assembly under which the Federal Atomic Energy Agency was to be abolished, and its powers and assets were to be transferred to the newly created "State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom." On 12 December of the same year, the agency transformed into a state corporation. In 2015, the company's revenue amounted to 126 billion rubles.
Involvement in international markets
Between 2000 and 2015, Rosatom "was the supplier in around half of all international agreements on nuclear power plant construction, reactor, and fuel supply, decommissioning or waste". Russia has various diplomatic ties with different countries via nuclear energy diplomacy. Some form of formalized agreement exists with 54 countries as of 2023, although some plans for Russian-built nuclear power plants were canceled after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Wind power investments
In 2017, Rosatom decided to invest in wind power, believing that rapid cost reductions in the renewable industry will become a competitive threat to nuclear power, and started to build wind turbine. Rosatom was also concerned that nuclear export opportunities were becoming exhausted. In October, Rosatom was reported to be considering postponing commissioning new nuclear plants in Russia due to excess generation capacity and that new nuclear electricity prices are higher than for existing plant. The Russian government is considering reducing support for new nuclear under its support contracts, called Dogovor Postavki Moshnosti, which guarantees developers a return on investment through increased payments from consumers for 20 years. As of 2023, Rosatom has commissioned nine wind farms with a total capacity of 1 GW. Electricity generation from wind power plants reached 2.27 billion kWh by the end of 2023. In 2023, a contract was signed for the construction of Rosatom's first international wind farm in Kyrgyzstan.2017 ruthenium plume controversy
, a byproduct of uranium-235 fission, is used by nuclear monitoring sites as an indicator of a nuclear accident. In October 2017, a plume of ruthenium-106 was detected by multiple laboratories throughout Europe. Rosatom denied that there had been a leak or accident at its nuclear sites and suggested that the plume was caused by a satellite burning upon reentry. A 2019 study ruled out the satellite hypothesis. By analyzing air sample data from multiple monitoring sites, the scientists determined that the most likely cause of the plume was a fire or explosion while attempting to process ruthenium into cerium-144. Rosatom continues to deny that there was a leak or explosion.Other events (2017–2023)
On 28 June 2017, The Financial Times criticized Rosatom for lack of transparency regarding an alleged expansionist agenda through its role as a "Kremlin-controlled company". On 20 March 2018, this criticism was underlined by the Bellona Foundation, who focused on the scarce data available on Rosatom's progress in Sudan.On 20 August 2020, Rosatom marked the 75th anniversary of the Russian nuclear industry. As part of the celebration, Rosatom launched its rebranding campaign "United Rosatom," which made subsidiaries in the nuclear industry utilize the Rosatom's Möbius strip logo. In 2020, Rosatom set a goal of tripling its revenue to ₽4 trillion by 2030, 40% of which is set to come from new lines of business, with primarily focus on sustainable tech. In 2020, Rosatom approved an updated strategy with the intent to branch into 100 new business areas, including nuclear medicine, composites, wind energy, hydrogen, waste management, additive technology, and production of hydrogen.
Nations supporting Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion sanctioned Rosatom and its subsidiaries. On 24 February 2023 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom announced direct sanctions against Rosatom and its executives. The United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Rosatom's carbon fibre-producing UMATEX subsidiary group of companies in Russia and the Czech Republic pursuant to, as part of a drive against Russia's suppliers of carbon fibers. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies recommends a blanket ban in the US on Rosatom. It said the total revenue accrued by Rosatom from US and European sources was around $2 billion in FY2023 and considered this unacceptable. The European Union dares not sanction Rosatom because of the importance of the nuclear fuel and equipment which they provide to the continent, although the European Parliament did call for sanctions as lately as 2 February 2023.
Within the next two days after Russian military forces occupied Ukraine's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on 24 February 2022, Rosatom employees had gained unauthorized access to the plant, threatened the Ukrainian personnel, and demanded the plant's manuals, procedures and other documentation.
Since 12 March 2022, once Russian military forces occupied Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Rosatom employees have gained access and set a base there without permission of the plant's owner Energoatom. Rosatom engineers have demanded documentation and manuals on the plant's operation. Rosatom spokeswoman said that its employees are present at the ZNPP to ensure the safety of the plant and are not involved in its management or security.
On 29 September 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency was told by a Ukrainian ambassador that Rosatom had sent more officials to the ZNPP to enforce the change in ownership from Ukraine to Russia and to give the plant employees two weeks to apply for work with Rosatom. According to western media outlet Bloomberg, allowing Russia to claim ownership of the ZNPP would represent the biggest nuclear theft in history.
In an essay written in July 2023, it was alleged that Rosatom had supplied fuel to 78 power reactors in 15 countries, and controlled more than a third of the global nuclear fuel market. Cameco, Orano and ConverDyn were listed as its main competitors.
On 10 January 2025, the United States sanctioned senior officials of Rosatom, including Chief Executive Officer Alexey Likhachev and members of Rosatom’s Management Board, for their involvement in Russia’s nuclear weapons complex and defense sector, nuclear power plant construction exports, development of advanced technologies and materials, non-uranium extractive industries and associated businesses, and malign activities, including the occupation of the ZNPP in Ukraine. As a result of the sanctions-related actions, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.