At the World Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin chose his words carefully: Russia is the only country in the world that is actually building small modular reactors, not merely discussing them. A statement that, when measured against Rosatom‘s track record, holds up to scrutiny.
The most advanced project is the land-based SMR plant currently under construction in Yakutia, in the Republic of Sakha. The selected reactor is the RITM-200N, a land-based version of a technology that has accumulated over 400 reactor-years of operational experience aboard Russian nuclear icebreakers. Each unit delivers 55 MW of electrical output and is designed for a 60-year service life. First startup is scheduled for 2027. The plant’s purpose is to supply clean, reliable power to remote Arctic communities that are off the main grid and where diesel costs are prohibitive.
On the export front, Rosatom signed its first international SMR contract in May 2024, for a plant in Uzbekistan. The project calls for six RITM-200N units in the Jizzakh region, with a combined capacity of 330 MW. Preliminary works have already begun. This is an absolute first: no other country has yet exported a construction contract for a small modular reactor of this type. Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev described the deal as confirmation of Russia’s leadership in the sector. In March 2025, Rosatom also signed an intergovernmental agreement with Myanmar on cooperation in the construction of small-scale nuclear power plants.
Russia is targeting up to 20% of the global SMR and micro-modular reactor market — an ambitious figure, but one backed by a technology portfolio that no Western competitor can yet match in terms of operational reactors. The floating nuclear power plant at Pevek, equipped with two SMRs and operational since 2020, remains the only facility of its kind in the world. Five years of operation above the Arctic Circle, in conditions of continuous permafrost, represent a body of technical data worth more than any theoretical roadmap.
The RITM series is listed in the OECD-NEA SMR dashboard and ranks among the five most advanced projects globally according to the New Nuclear Watch Institute in London. Rosatom has already begun producing components for the Uzbek plant — proof that these are not agreements on paper. Brazil has opened talks to explore SMR options with Russia, a signal that interest in the Russian model extends well beyond Central Asia.
Putin’s remarks at Davos reflect an industrial strategy that is already being executed. While many countries are still debating SMRs in policy papers, Russia has active construction sites, signed contracts, and a floating reactor already feeding electricity to the grid. If the timeline holds — first startup in Yakutia in 2027, first Uzbek reactor going critical in 2029 — Rosatom will have locked in an advantage that will take other market players years to close.
