Uzbekistan says that it aims to have completed the design for the SMR project by the end of this year so that the "main phase of its implementation can begin in 2026".

The World Atomic Week (WAW) international forum, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Russian nuclear industry, which took place from 25 to 28 September at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre in Moscow, attracted more than 20,000 visitors from 118 countries.

The facility located above the Arctic circle is key for Russia’s ambition to triple LNG production by the end of the decade. While those plans were squeezed by international restrictions after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s decision to take more Russian gas amid a confrontation with the US could revive those goals.

Russia remained the top supplier of nuclear reactor fuel to the US last year, even after a ban on enriched uranium imports from the country took effect in May.

In May 2021, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, told The Guardian, “If governments are serious about the climate crisis, there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal, from now – from this year.”

The world’s leading banks spent just 89 cents on low-carbon energy companies and projects such as wind, solar and grids for every dollar they allocated to fossil fuels.

While global spending is likely to hit $570 billion this year — enough to keep production at current levels if sustained — the amount would be down slightly from 2024,

These new measures follow the 18th sanctions package, unveiled in July 2025, which lowered the oil price cap on Russian crude to US$47.6/bbl,

The contract, worth CNY4.2bn ($594m), was awarded to a joint group of companies, China Energy Engineering Jiangsu Electric Power Construction No 3 Company and China National Nuclear Huachen Construction Engineering Company. They will build the nuclear islands, their auxiliary systems and part of the equipment for the balance of the station.

Russia sold 35 billion bcm of gas to the European Union in 2024, which positioned Russia as Europe’s largest gas supplier. Gas has not been subjected to EU sanctions, although the EU has stated it wishes to cut off all Russian gas supplies by 2027. Iran’s gas consumption potential can more than make up the difference and is also likely to spur Iranian industrial development.