Keep knowledgeable with free updates
Merely signal as much as the Russian politics myFT Digest — delivered on to your inbox.
Russia is constructing greater than 10 nuclear models overseas because it appears to faucet into rising vitality demand pushed by synthetic intelligence and growing markets, in response to an envoy of President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow is doubling down on efforts to spice up its global influence by increasing its nuclear fleet, with vegetation underneath development in international locations together with Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran and Turkey. Russia has enhanced its function as a significant nuclear vitality supplier even because the oil and gasoline sector has confronted heavy sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine.
Boris Titov, the Kremlin’s particular consultant for worldwide co-operation in sustainability, stated the nation wished to cement its place as “one of many greatest builders of latest nuclear vegetation on this planet”.
He stated Russia anticipated sturdy demand for nuclear energy from growing international locations longing for cleaner sources of vitality, in addition to from technology companies harnessing AI in information centres. The Worldwide Atomic Power Company forecast this 12 months that world nuclear producing capability would enhance by 155 per cent to 950 gigawatts by 2050.
“We’re constructing greater than 10 totally different models all over the world,” Titov instructed the Monetary Occasions. “We want loads of vitality. We will be unable to offer this vitality with out utilizing . . . nuclear. We all know that it’s protected . . . it’s not emitting [greenhouse gas emissions], so it is extremely clear.”
Russia’s rising abroad nuclear portfolio, together with reactor development, gasoline provision and different providers, spans 54 countries, in response to an article printed final 12 months within the journal Nature Power by the Norwegian Institute of Worldwide Affairs.
Titov pointed to Hungary’s Paks 2 plant in addition to models in Bangladesh and Turkey. Russia can be anticipated to construct a plant with small modular reactors in Uzbekistan, whereas it signed an settlement with Burkina Faso’s ruling junta in 2023. The FT reported this 12 months that Russia was concerned in additional than a 3rd of latest reactors being constructed worldwide.
Western governments have tried to push again towards Russia’s nuclear prominence, with the US banning imports of Russian-enriched uranium this Might.
Except for Hungary, most jap European international locations have signed contracts for gasoline developed to suit Soviet-era reactors by US firm Westinghouse because the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
As a part of a wider push to satisfy an indicative goal of being free from Russian gasoline imports by 2027, Dan Jørgensen, the brand new EU commissioner for vitality, stated that he wished to look at the “full nuclear provide chain”.
However Hungarian premier Viktor Orbán and Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico have stated they might block any steps to limit Russia’s civilian nuclear vitality trade.
After assembly Putin on Sunday, Fico stated in a publish on Fb that potential sanctions towards Russia could be “financially damaging and endanger the manufacturing of electrical energy in nuclear energy vegetation in Slovakia, which is unacceptable”.
However fears that Russia might create essential nuclear gasoline shortages for the bloc, because it did for gasoline in 2022, are overstated, one senior EU official stated.
“Rosatom has a vested curiosity to be dependable,” they added.
A extra speedy downside is US sanctions on Gazprombank, a significant conduit for vitality funds to Russia. The measures exempted civil nuclear vitality aside from Hungary’s Paks 2 plant. Hungary’s international minister Péter Szijjártó has referred to as the singling out of the brand new plant an “fully political determination”.
Many growing international locations are nuclear to satisfy clear vitality necessities, providing extra potential markets for Russia.
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Malaysia’s pure assets and environmental sustainability minister, instructed the Monetary Occasions that the nation was “learning the introduction of nuclear”.
He stated all of the “main gamers” had been “speaking to the [Malaysian] authorities” on potential tasks, with out referring to particular international locations.
Talking on the UN COP29 local weather summit in Azerbaijan in November, Jake Levine, senior local weather and vitality director on the US Nationwide Safety Council, stated Washington was involved about international locations turning to China or Russia for nuclear energy.
International competitiveness within the trade was a “enormous difficulty”, he added.
Further reporting by Anastasia Stognei, Polina Ivanova and Raphael Minder
Local weather Capital
The place local weather change meets enterprise, markets and politics. Explore the FT’s coverage here.
Are you interested in the FT’s environmental sustainability commitments? Find out more about our science-based targets here
