Rosatom plans to involve Belarus in developing digital platforms in Russia

MINSK, 24 May (BelTA) -  Plans are in place to involve Belarusian companies in the development of industrial technological digital platforms in the Russian Federation, Director General of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom Alexey Likhachev told the media on 24 May, BelTA has learned.

According to him, the work was carried out jointly with Belarus for half a year to prepare a “technological map”, which included about 40 projects. “The main criterion is not only the discussion of certain technological competencies. It is the development of enterprises - either in the format of joint ventures, or branches, subdivisions of Rosatom State Corporation in Belarus, or Belarusian enterprises included in our chain,” Alexey Likhachev said.

In his words, these and other areas of cooperation were discussed the day before in a detailed confidential conversation with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko. The most important among them is the development of a national center of additive technologies (a center of common use for the benefit of different enterprises and industries of Belarus) with a full chain, including personnel training, equipment specialization and attractive economic conditions.

Cooperation on digital competencies, both in terms of creating software products and hardware, is also of big interest, the Rosatom head said. “It is no secret that Belarus is competent in these areas. The production chains have been preserved since the Soviet times - the Integral enterprise. These are also modern private digital companies that have competitive products both in life cycle management [of enterprises] and in operating systems,” he said.

“Our task is to involve Belarusian companies in the development of industrial technological digital platforms in the Russian Federation,” Alexey Likhachev emphasized. “Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko has showed interest in this initiative, and I really hope that we will not let him down.”

The parties also talked over energy storage, automobile manufacturing. “So far, this has been more of an exchange of opinions and ideas. But I hope that with Russian gigafactories for energy storage systems being set up in Kaliningrad and Moscow, we will sooner or later reach the corresponding production structures in Belarus. We already supply energy storage devices to MAZ, Belkommunmash. With further expansion of this market, localization will be possible here. We are interested in it,” Alexey Likhachev said.

He also named nuclear medicine, scientific and technical research among other possible areas of bilateral cooperation. And, of course, the possible construction of a second nuclear power plant in Belarus. “We are ready to do it. Only the technical look and the location of the future installation are open to debate,” Alexey Likhachev said.

In his words, the parties have to decide on the timeline and the economic model of the project first.

“Our Belarusian partners now know the taste of nuclear electricity well. Energy consumption in Belarus has spiked. As far as I can see, Belarus is not going to stop increasing electricity consumption,” the Rosatom head noted.