Rosatom plans Chinese expansion with new office

10 April 2015

Rosatom plans to open a regional centre in China "as early as" the middle of this year, the Russian state nuclear corporation announced yesterday. The announcement followed a decision taken by the company's committee on strategic partnerships, alliances, mergers and acquisitions.

"The activities of the [planned] regional office are designed to strengthen Rosatom's current position in the Chinese market, as well as to be a reference point for the further development of our business in that country," Rosatom said.

This applies not only to the construction of new reactors at the site of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu Province, Rosatom said, but also to the promotion of products and services offered by the company's subsidiaries in the Chinese market, as well as to closer cooperation with Chinese partners in "non-nuclear activities", Alexander Merten, president of Rusatom International Network, said in the same statement.

Sergey Demin has been appointed regional vice president of Rusatom International Network for China and Japan.

Rusatom International Network already has regional offices in the Czech Republic, France, Singapore, South Africa and Ukraine. It says on its website that it has plans to open offices "in all the major economic centers: in the Middle East, Asia and the Americas".

The third of four Russian-produced steam generators was delivered to the construction site of Tianwan unit 3 last month. It was produced by Russian heavy equipment manufacturer ZIO-Podolsk - a subsidiary of Atomenergomash, which is part of Rosatom. Tianwan 3 is an AES-91 VVER-1000 unit designed by Gidropress and supplied by Rosatom. AtomStroyExport is the main contractor, supplying the nuclear island.

First concrete for the unit was poured in December 2012. It is scheduled to begin operating in February 2018. Two similar reactors (units 1 and 2) began operating at the site in 2007, while construction of a fourth began in September 2013. Each of the VVERs is rated to produce 1060 MWe.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News