Russia has manufactured 15 RITM-200 reactors

Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Rosatom, presented plans for constructing nuclear power plants of various capacities at a nuclear energy development meeting, with small-capacity nuclear power systems being one of the key topics.

According to the presentation, Russia has manufactured 15 RITM-200 reactors to date, with another 13 under construction. The RITM-200 is Russia's new-generation marine reactor, primarily used in Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreakers. The most recent reactor equipment has been delivered to the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Leningrad".

Rosatom is developing small nuclear power plant solutions based on the RITM-200, covering both land-based and marine applications. Likhachev stated that such units are particularly suitable for remote regions with difficult transportation access and limited energy supply conditions, and Russia currently has the capacity for serial production of such units.

The RITM-200 was initially developed for Project 22220 universal nuclear-powered icebreakers. It features an integrated design with more compact equipment layout compared to the previous generation, along with improved operational efficiency and power output. According to available data, the system delivers approximately 1.5 times the power of its predecessor, enabling new-generation nuclear-powered vessels to operate in thick Arctic ice and shallow waters at Siberian river estuaries.

For land-based applications, the improved RITM-200N variant of the RITM-200 has been adopted for small nuclear power plant development. Russia's first small nuclear power plant using this system is under construction in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), planned to supply power to the Chuchus mining cluster and serve Arctic development needs.

For marine applications, a floating nuclear power plant using the RITM-200S is also being advanced, with the project planned to provide electricity to the Baimsky mining and processing plant in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. In addition to the RITM series, Rosatom's small nuclear power projects also include the "Shelf" project and the Kurchatov-related "Elena" thermal power plant concept, both with design service lives of several decades.

The RITM-200 series has also entered international project planning. Uzbekistan is implementing the first international small nuclear power plant project based on Russian design, with the initial configuration including two large units using VVER-1000 reactors and two small units using RITM-200N reactors.