An ingot made of special alloy steel weighing 205 tonnes has been cast at the AEM-Spetstal Metallurgical Plant (part of Rosatom’s Mechanical Engineering Division). It will be used to manufacture the flange of the RITM-200N reactor vessel for the low-power nuclear power plant (ASMM – Atomnoi Stantsii Maloi Moshnosti)), which is being built in Uzbekistan.
After completion of all technological operations at AEM-Spetstal, the flange will be transferred to other enterprises of the division to assemble the reactor vessel into a single unit. “The enterprises of the Mechanical Engineering Division have the necessary capacities and experience in the manufacture of reactor units of the RITM series, which have been operating in the icebreaker fleet for several years,” said Igor Kotov, Head of Rosatom’s Engineering Division. “Our knowledge and competencies will be applied in the manufacture of all six RITM-200N reactor plants for ASMM in Uzbekistan.”
RITM reactor installations operate on four nuclear icebreakers – Arktika Ural, Siberia and Yakutia, and have proven their safety and effectiveness. Various modifications have been made to enable the RITM to be used as part of land-based ASMMs and floating power units in different climatic conditions. The RITM-200N is the adaptation for ground-based deployment. Its capacity is 55 MWe, with an estimated service life of up to 60 years.
In May 2024, during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan, Rosatom subsidiary Atomstroyexport, signed the agreement with Uzbekistan’s Directorate for Nuclear Power Plants for the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. The project provides for the construction of an ASMM in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan with a capacity of 330 MWe comprising six reactors with a capacity of 55 MWe each.
Preliminary work on the ASMM project began in the summer of 2024. In April 2025, construction of the construction and installation base began, which will provide the necessary space for administrative and industrial buildings for the entire period of construction of the ASMM plant.
