The head of Russia's state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, stated in an interview with journalists on March 24 that Western sanctions have exerted certain pressure on the corporation's projects but have not halted any of them. He claimed that over the past two years, sanctions have created difficulties, yet all projects continue to move forward.
Responding to a question about the nuclear power plant (NPP) under construction in Uzbekistan, Likhachev emphasized that involving local companies is a key factor in the project's stability and resilience to external pressure, including sanctions. "From the perspective of the project's stability and its resistance to external impacts, including sanctions pressure, the more local companies are involved, the higher the stability. This has been tested in practice in all countries where we work," he purportedly stated.
The Rosatom leader added that despite external restrictions, projects continue to be implemented in various countries. He noted that launch operations for power units in Bangladesh, Turkey, and China are planned for 2024, with projects systematically developing in other countries as well.
In December 2025, the project director for the NPP construction in Uzbekistan from Atomstroyexport, Pavel Bezrukov, commented on potential sanctions against Rosatom and their impact on the NPP project in the Jizzakh region. He allegedly stated that Uzbekistan has long been under sanctions, and Rosatom has already localized all critical elements for the station, so sanctions would not affect the NPP construction.
Sanctions by the US and European Union regimes against Russia have impacted some of Rosatom's overseas projects. The Akkuyu NPP project in Turkey continues but faces delays—the launch of the first power unit has been postponed from 2023 to 2026 due to issues with Western equipment supplies (including from Siemens Energy) and difficulties with banking operations amid sanctions against Russia's financial sector. The Paks-2 project in Hungary remains under pressure from EU regulators, with the EU court annulling the European Commission's approval of state aid in September 2025, creating additional legal hurdles for implementation.
Source: www.gazeta.uz