Russia to Add 30 Gigawatts of Nuclear Power Generation Capacity
The expansion is needed amid rapid digitalization and the development of artificial intelligence.
Russia plans to commission 30 gigawatts of new generating capacity through the construction of nuclear power units. President Vladimir Putin announced the plans at a meeting on the development of nuclear energy.
According to Putin, the additional capacity is essential due to the rapid development of high-tech industries. The country is seeing growing use of electric vehicles, industrial robots and automated services.
"And, of course, we are talking about the development of artificial intelligence tools and the construction of data storage and processing centers. These elements of the digital platform economy are creating growing demand for electricity," the president said.
New facilities will be built in the Urals, Siberia and the Russian Far East. Russia will therefore need to improve its technological readiness for serial production of various types of reactors, including small modular reactors.
