Rosatom’s Proryv Project Aims to Industrialize Fourth-Generation Nuclear Technologies

ST. PETERSBURG, June 4. /TASS/. The Proryv (Breakthrough) project of Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation will enable the industrialization of advanced fourth-generation nuclear technologies, according to its scientific director, Yevgeny Adamov, speaking in an interview with TASS ahead of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Adamov said the project’s mission is to restore the nuclear energy sector to its primary, large-scale development potential. “Not a niche development, as it is now, but a full-fledged long-term development project, spanning centuries,” he said. “At Breakthrough, we are solving a practical problem: bringing the idea of closing the nuclear fuel cycle to industrial implementation and proving its economic competitiveness.”

Adamov also emphasized the potential long-term impact of the work. “If this work is brought (by Rosatom) to an industrial scale, and I have no doubt it will be, humanity will have a virtually inexhaustible source of energy. Not for a hundred years, as is the case now, but for millennia,” he said during SPIEF 2026. He described a new nuclear energy platform as “clean, safe, economically competitive” and said it would strengthen the non-proliferation regime, forming “the foundation for a sustainable energy future for the planet.”

According to Adamov, nuclear energy must be safe by design, realize the full energy potential of uranium raw materials, and leave no unsolvable problems for future generations. “It must be protected from proliferation by its architecture itself, not just by safeguards. And it must return to the earth’s surface exactly the radioactivity it extracted, in the same state,” he explained, adding that competitiveness is essential. “This is the essence of the fourth-generation principles, and this is exactly what we are implementing at Breakthrough.”

SPIEF 2026: Focus on Global Energy Trends

SPIEF is taking place on June 3–6, marking the 29th edition of the forum. This year’s theme is “Pragmatic Dialogue: the Path to a Stable Future,” with Saudi Arabia as the guest country. The forum program is dedicated to shaping a new model of global development amid the ongoing transformation of the world economy.

First Deputy CEO of Rosatom, Kirill Komarov, addressed the forum, pointing to expected growth in global electricity demand, particularly in the Global South. “There will be global electricity demand, particularly in countries of Global South,” Komarov said, attributing the trend to the most intensive development currently taking place there.

Komarov cited a simple example to illustrate the shift: currently, 70% of functioning power generating units are in Western countries and 30% in the Global South. However, when looking at nuclear power plants under construction globally, the figures are reversed: 70% are in the Global South and only 30% in Western nations. “I believe these trends and this gap will only grow,” he added.

Russia’s Leadership in Fast Reactor Technology

The forum also provided a platform for highlighting Russia’s role in advanced nuclear development. IAEA Deputy Director General Mikhail Chudakov told TASS that the FR-26 international conference on fast reactors and related fuel cycles, held in Beijing on May 18–22, 2026, confirmed Russia’s leadership in this field. “Just two weeks ago, we [the IAEA] held a conference on fast reactors in China, which brought together about 500 participants from various countries,” Chudakov said. “There was a large Russian delegation, and Yevgeny Adamov delivered a keynote speech on the future of energy. Naturally, Russia is at the forefront and leads this global field.”

FR-26 was the fifth IAEA International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles, following previous editions in Kyoto (2009), Paris (2013), Yekaterinburg (2017), and Vienna (2022). Adamov served as honorary chairman of the conference. The Breakthrough project, managed by Rosatom, implements a comprehensive program to create a new generation of nuclear power technology based on fast reactors with a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Key facilities of the Experimental and Demonstration Power Complex in Seversk, Tomsk Region, include the BREST-OD-300 lead-cooled reactor, a fuel fabrication/refabrication module, and a spent fuel reprocessing module.

Forum Details

The SPIEF program includes the SME Forum, the Creative Industries Forum, the Day of the Future International Youth Economic Forum, and the Ensuring Drug Security Forum. Cultural events include the Petersburg Seasons festival and the traditional SPIEF Sports Games. VEB.RF is the title partner of this year’s forum. The Roscongress Foundation organizes SPIEF, with TASS serving as its official general information partner.