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       While arguments and lawsuits fly around in the U.S. at the city, state and federal level with regard to the location and operation of commercial nuclear power plants, other nations governments are pouring manpower and resources into the development and construction of nuclear power reactors. They are being built to supply both domestic markets and the export market of nations who have a strong commitment to nuclear power. The development and deployment of nuclear weapons is also supported by intense activity in the commercial nuclear industries.
       A new report titled What Makes Russia's Nuclear Sector Competitive from S&P Global Ratings was just published yesterday in which government support for the nuclear industry in Russia was contrasted with the Western Europe nuclear sector which is more tightly restricted because of environment and health dangers as well as growing competition with cheap natural gas and renewables whose prices are dropping.
       There are eighty-nine business enterprises in Russia that are owned by the state-run stock company called the Atomic Energy Power Corporation (AEPC) in English. The Russian name for AEPC is Atomenergoprom. Since Russia commissioned its first nuclear power plant in Obninsk in1954 which generated five megawatts, nuclear power has been strongly supported. Russian state support includes capacity-supply agreements, low nuclear liabilities that only accrue after 2011 and ad hoc equity contributions. The Russian electric market design and low construction costs allow nuclear power to be competitive with other fuels available in Russia.
       Low Russian nuclear plant construction costs are supported by vertical integration, the residual effects of a local currency devaluation in 2014 and a “learning curve” effect from the continued development and construction of nuclear power plants in Russia.
       The S&P report says, "We expect domestic nuclear capacity to increase only moderately because electricity demand in Russia is stagnating, given only modest GDP growth, a significant potential for energy savings, and the government's intention to avoid raising electricity prices through additional increases in capacity payments."
       Major risks to the Russian nuclear industry are mostly connected to international projects. They include tighter requirements for new nuclear plant construction which often cause delays. Nuclear phase out policies in Western Europe such as Germany’s decision to close all nuclear power plants could eventually impact the Russian nuclear export program. “That said, we believe exports of fuel and enrichment services should be resilient in the next several years because Russia mostly exports to nuclear-supportive countries under long-term contracts. Meanwhile, treatment of nuclear waste or decommissioning services could increase in importance."
       AEPC has excellent profitability and financial metrics when compared to the performance of other nations in the global nuclear industry. This provides “financial capacity” to fund new nuclear power plant construction both in Russia and abroad.
       Russia says that it is involved in a “record number” or international nuclear power construction projects but they tend to be a bit vague about how many of those are actually firm and funded construction projects and how many are just “Memos of Understanding” to work towards actual contracts. The prime contractor for international projects is Atomstroyexport, another state-owned entity. AEPC is only directly involved in a project in Turkey and a project in Finland.
       AEPC is involved in all phases of the civil nuclear cycle from mining uranium through fuel enrichment and fabrication to the generation of electricity in Russia. It is the sole operator of ten plants with a total of thirty-five power reactors. These plants generate twenty-nine gigawatts which represents eighteen percent of the production of electricity in Russia.