The
AEM-Special Steels metallurgical plant (Rosatom's Mechanical Engineering
Division enterprise) cast a 205-ton ingot of special alloy steel. It will be
used by machine builders to create a flange for the RITM-200N reactor vessel
for the low-power nuclear power plant (LPNPP) under construction in Uzbekistan
that is designed by Rosatom.
Rosatom held a presentation of the manufacturing of the first element of reactor equipment at the Power Uzbekistan 2025 International Exhibition. Representatives of the country's energy industry, experts, heads of relevant ministries and departments, took part in the event.
Steel casting is the actual start of the process of creating a nuclear reactor. After all technological operations at AEM-Special Steels are completed, the metallurgical blank will be transferred to other enterprises of the division for the assembly of the reactor vessel into a single unit.
"The
transition to the practical implementation of the low-power NPP construction
project in Uzbekistan demonstrates the high interest of foreign partners in
small nuclear technologies and their trust in Rosatom's solutions in this area.
The enterprises of the Mechanical Engineering Division have the necessary
capacities and experience in the manufacture of RITM series reactor units,
which have been in operation in the icebreaker fleet for several years. Our
expertise and competencies will be applied in the manufacture of all six
RITM-200N reactor units for the LPNPP in Uzbekistan," said Igor Kotov,
head of the Mechanical Engineering Division of Rosatom.
A flange is
one of the elements of the reactor vessel. The part ensures the connection of
the reactor vessel with the top head of the upper unit.
Rosatom’s Mechanical Engineering Division is the largest energy engineering holding in Russia by production volume and revenue. It supplies reactor island and turbine hall equipment for all nuclear power plants built to Russian design and develops integrated solutions for energy, oil and gas, and other industrial sectors. The division includes major R&D centres and production sites. AEM-Special Steels is the first link in Rosatom’s unified production chain, supplying metal for all Russian-design nuclear plants worldwide. https://rosatommd.ru/
The RITM reactor units are operated on four nuclear-powered vessels of the latest generation: Arktika, Ural, Sibir, Yakutia, and have proven their safety and efficiency. Various modifications allow the RITM to be used as part of land-based small nuclear power plants and floating power units in various climatic conditions. RITM-200N is the result of adapting innovative low-power marine technology to land-based placement. Its capacity is 55 MW, and its estimated service life is up to 60 years.
On May 27,
2024, during an official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to
Uzbekistan, a protocol on amending the intergovernmental agreement on
cooperation between the two countries in the construction of a nuclear power
plant in Uzbekistan was signed in the presence of the Heads of State of Russia
and Uzbekistan. The essence of amendments is to expand cooperation for the
construction of a Russian-designed low-power nuclear power plant (LPNPP) in
Uzbekistan. Also on the margins of the event, Atomstroyexport Joint Stock
Company (Engineering Division of Rosatom State Corporation) and the Directorate
for NPP Construction State Enterprise at the Atomic Energy Agency under the
Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed a contract for the
construction of a low-power nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. The project
envisages the construction in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan of a
Russian-designed 330 MW SNPP: six reactors, each with a 55 MW capacity.
Preliminary
works under the low-power NPP project started in summer of 2024. In June, the
first operational meeting for construction was held at the future NPP site,
which defined the priority tasks whose performance will make it possible to
begin the works within the scheduled deadlines. In April 2025,the construction
of a civil and erection base (CEB) has begun. It will provide the necessary
areas for administrative and production buildings over the entire period of
construction of the low-power NPP units. It is also planned to place a
warehouse and pre-assembly shops on this site.
Rosatom’s Engineering Division includes leading nuclear industry enterprises: JSC Atomstroyexport (with headquarters in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, and branches in Russia and abroad), the Unified Design Institute – JSC Atomenergoproekt (with design and survey branches in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, and other locations), and construction subsidiaries. The division holds the largest global portfolio of nuclear construction projects and leads in the number of simultaneously built NPPs worldwide.
Roughly 80
% of the division’s revenue comes from international projects. It builds NPPs
in Russia and abroad, provides a full range of EPC, EP, and EPC(M) services,
including project management and design, and develops Multi-D technologies for
managing complex engineering facilities. The division draws on Russian nuclear
industry expertise and modern innovative technologies. www.ase-ec.ru
Russia
continues to develop international trade and economic cooperation with global
partners. Major international energy projects are progressing, with Rosatom
playing an active role.
