The Russian-designed VVER-TOI nuclear power reactor design - developed from the VVER-1200 - has been formally certified as compliant by the European Utility Requirements organisation.

The general contract for Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors for units 3 & 4 of the Xudabao nuclear power plant in China's Liaoning province was signed yesterday in Moscow in the presence of the countries' heads of state.

Unit 2 of the Novovoronezh II nuclear power plant in southwest Russia has entered the pilot commercial operation stage, Rosenergoatom, the operator subsidiary of state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has announced.

Rosenergoatom, the operator of Russia's Leningrad nuclear power plant, has strengthened operational safety in response to the findings of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) review in 2017, a follow-up mission has concluded. The team encouraged the operator to pursue continuous improvement.

A ceremony was held on 25 May at the Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg to mark the launch of the Ural nuclear-powered icebreaker. The 173 metre-long Ural is one of three vessels of Project 22220 - featuring RITM-200 reactors - that will be able to break through 3-meter-thick ice as they escort vessels across the Arctic Ocean.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology on the implementation of a centre for nuclear science and technology in Vietnam.

The batch of fuel assemblies made by Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant for the initial fuel loading of unit 2 of the nuclear power plant under construction in Belarus has passed its final inspection. NCCP is a subsidiary of Russian fuel manufacturer TVEL.

Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, and UzAtom, Uzbekistan's nuclear development agency, have signed a contract to perform engineering surveys for the Central Asian country's first nuclear power plant.

Rosatom expects to double revenue from its overseas business, from USD6.6 billion last year to USD15 billion by 2024, its director general, Alexey Likhachov, has told Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. In their meeting, on 6 May, Likhachov said foreign projects were the "key theme" of the state nuclear corporation’s future growth.

Unit 2 of the Novovoronezh II nuclear power plant in southwest Russia for the first time supplied electricity to the country's grid yesterday, Rosenergoatom, the operator subsidiary of state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has announced. The VVER-1200 reactor was brought to the minimum controlled power level on 22 March and it reached a capacity of 240 MW yesterday.

TVEL, the nuclear fuel subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, is working on a 'dual-component' approach to closing the nuclear fuel cycle, as well as accident-tolerant fuel and innovations in fuel for VVER units.

After a series of successful and comprehensive tests, including on its twin KLT-40 reactor system, the floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov is ready to start commercial operations, Russia's Rosatom announced today.