The plenary session “Nuclear Energy for People and the Planet” was held on
November 13, 2026, as part of the World Atomic Days business program. The
session was attended by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev; World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao-i-León; Turkey’s Minister
of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan
Bayraktar; Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic
Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev; Director
of the Agency for Nuclear Energy Development under the Ministry of Energy of
the Republic of Uzbekistan Azim
Akhmedkhadjaev; Chief Coordinator of the BRICS Nuclear Energy Platform Elsie Pule; and the Director General
and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Paks II. Ltd. (Paks II, a private
company with limited liability), Attila
Ságodi. The discussion focused on the role of nuclear technologies in
addressing global challenges.
The Rosatom Director General noted that nuclear power is the only technology that can address three key challenges of our time: climate change, the energy transition, and geopolitical instability. Alexey Likhachev also highlighted Rosatom’s contribution to developing the global nuclear industry, emphasizing that Russia has never stopped building nuclear power plants or improving nuclear technologies. This has enabled Rosatom to develop its own vision for the industry’s future and take the lead in the sector.
Alexey Likhachev noted that making more efficient use of available resources will play a decisive role in shaping the future of nuclear power. Rosatom plans to have a two-component nuclear power system operating in Russia by mid-century, combining thermal and fast neutron reactors with a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Generation IV reactor technologies already being developed by Russian nuclear specialists will make nuclear power generation virtually waste-free and expand the resource base by enabling spent nuclear fuel to be reprocessed multiple times.
“Today, more and more countries are making nuclear power a significant part of their energy mix. Nuclear power’s environmental benefits and key role in the energy transition, together with equal access to nuclear technologies, are central to today’s global energy agenda. Rosatom has always offered its solutions to partners and shared its knowledge and technologies, and will continue to do so,” Alexey Likhachev concluded.
World Atomic Days 2026, held in Antalya on November 12–13, 2026, is
Rosatom’s own international business event complementing the COP31 climate
agenda. One of the global nuclear industry’s key events in 2026, it is
organized by Rosatom for international partners to promote nuclear
technologies. The event is held with the support of the BRICS Nuclear Energy
Platform.
In September 2025, Russia hosted the World Atomic Week (WAW) nuclear forum. This event was the largest in recent decades for both the Russian and global nuclear industries, opening a new chapter in the development of nuclear technologies for the international community. WAD, the WAW “roadshow,” changes locations every two years to reflect developments in the global nuclear industry. In 2026, our partner is Turkey, a country at the crossroads of continents and energy flows, where we are adapting the global WAW agenda to the regional context of the Middle East and Europe, with a focus on climate. It provides a platform to advance the business dialogue that began in Moscow and strengthen international business ties. The conference will showcase to the international community the crucial role of nuclear power in building a low-carbon future and highlight its substantial contribution to the climate agenda.
The 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) is taking place in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20, 2026. The conference brings together representatives of governments, international organizations, businesses, the scientific community, and civil society initiatives to discuss how to combat climate change and develop a low-carbon economy.
