International relations

Rosatom is the official Russian Federation agency promoting international cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear power. It is responsible for meeting Russia's commitments in the nuclear industry with a specific focus on the international nuclear non-proliferation effort.

Rosatom’s international activities are aimed at the establishment of favourable international, legal and political conditions for the subsequent promotion of Russian nuclear technology on global markets, strengthening nuclear safety and non-proliferation regimes as well as active participation in international organisations and forums.

Particular attention is paid to expansion of the international legal framework. Rosatom’s International relations Unit ensures the development of the Russian Federation’s inter-governmental agreements and inter-agency arrangements to support the implementation of these agreements. As of December 31 2014, in total 76 of these agreements and arrangements have been put in place and signed with the active involvement of Rosatom.

In addition the International relations Unit provides continuous political support to the implementation of large-scale projects primarily associated with the construction of NPPs overseas. To optimise these activities Rosatom is developing a network of representative offices in foreign countries. As of the end of 2014, Rosatom representative offices were operating in Russian embassies and trade missions in 14 countries across the world.

Rosatom recognizes the importance of cooperation with international organizations aimed at ensuring nuclear safety and enabling access to atomic energy for all interested parties. Rosatom's global partners are the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (NEA OECD), and the CIS Commission for cooperation on peaceful uses for atomic energy.

On January 1 2013 Russia became a full member of the OECD NEA. The participation in research, computation and experimental projects and Agency programmes is aimed at the development of Russian innovative nuclear power technology, and the enhancement of nuclear and radiation safety. The work to harmonise the national approaches to licensing and identification of the approaches to the mutual recognition of expert appraisals of new NPP designs is carried out within the scope of the Multinational programme for the appraisal of new NPP designs in cooperation with other member-states (the United Kingdom, India, Canada, China, Russia, USA, Finland, France, Sweden, South Africa, South Korea and Japan). Russia participates in OECD NEA activities the ensure the stability of Mo-99 supplies jointly with other countries producing medical radioisotopes.

Rosatom represents the Russian Federation in international innovative research projects. The most significant of these projects are the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) International Forum Generation IV (GIV) and the Stable Nuclear Energy Technological Platform (SNETP).

The INPRO project envisages the development of high-level IAEA documents that incorporate best practice worldwide in terms of state-of-art nuclear fuel cycle technology. This being the case they demonstrate the most efficient and advanced systems reflecting innovative developments and approaches. Within the confines of GIF Russia participates in the development of 4 systems: fast reactors with sodium, lead and molten salt coolants, as well as a supercritical water reactor.

There are some further examples of international cooperation, such as the International Uranium Enrichment Centre that was established in 2006 following an initiative proposed by the President of the Russian Federation Mr. V.V. Putin on development of the Global Nuclear Infrastructure. The benefit of participation is the enhancement of state energy security via the guaranteed procurement of enriched uranium and/or enrichment services at market prices (this right is stipulated at an intergovernmental level). In developing the initiative, the Government of the Russian Federation and the IAEA signed an agreement on the establishment of a 120-tonne low-enriched uranium reserve in Russia. The purpose of this reserve is to act as a kind of insurance to provide any country unable to purchase uranium on the open market with access to the required materials.

Rosatom participates on behalf of the Russian Federation in a Russian-US program on the repatriation to Russia of spent nuclear fuel from Russian designed research reactors. Within the framework of this programme, companies within the Rosatom group transport irradiated highly enriched nuclear fuel from research reactors in different countries, with the subsequent transfer of these reactors to operate on low-enriched nuclear fuel.

Within the confines of the project for the construction of an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, where the Russian Federation is a participant, Rosatom and its subsidiaries are suppliers of equipment and materials for a reactor under construction.

To ensure public acceptance of nuclear technology Rosatom is opening information centres, multifunctional informational and educational sites in partner-nations. Their principal objectives are education in the field of atomic energy, popularisation of nuclear technology among schoolchildren, their parents, students and teachers, and the general public. Centres such as these are already in place in Turkey, Belarus, Bangladesh and Vietnam within the confines of support for NPP construction projects.