The RITM-400 is an advanced model of the RITM-200 reactor, currently used in icebreakers, floating nuclear power plants, and land-based installations. The new reactor produces 315 MW of thermal power and delivers 120 MW of propeller power, compared to the 165 MWt output of the RITM-200, while maintaining core technological features.
The completed RITM-400 unit was produced at ZiO-Podolsk, the machine-building division of Rosatom. The reactor’s completion coincided with Rosatom’s 80th anniversary celebrations. Rosatom's machine-building head, Igor Kotov, confirmed that the second RITM-400 reactor would be ready within months and added: "Both units will be sent to the shipyard for installation on the Rossiya ... the completion of this project opens up new opportunities in developing the Northern Sea Route."
Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, highlighted the milestone: "The completion of the RITM-400 reactor is a significant event for the icebreaker fleet, for Rosatom and for our entire country. The reactor units of the next-generation Rossiya nuclear icebreaker will allow it to break over 4 metres of thick ice."
Russia currently operates eight nuclear-powered icebreakers: 50 Let Pobedy, Vaigach, Yamal, Taimyr, and the Project 22220 vessels Arktika, Siberia, Ural, and Yakutia. Three more Project 22220 vessels — Chukotka, Leningrad, and Stalingrad — are under construction. Ten RITM-200 reactors have already been manufactured for the Project 22220 vessels, with ten additional units in production for use in icebreakers or modular reactor applications.
These nuclear-powered vessels are central to the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a 5,600-kilometre shipping corridor stretching from St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. The route enables significant reductions in distance and time for maritime trade between northern Europe and Asia. For example, shipments from Murmansk to Japan can be shortened from 37 days via the Suez Canal to about 18 days using the NSR.
Rosatom reported record activity on the NSR in 2024, with 37.8 million tonnes of cargo transported, surpassing the previous high by 1.6 million tonnes. A total of 92 transit voyages were recorded, accounting for 3 million tonnes of cargo. The nuclear-powered fleet provided 976 icebreaker escort operations to support navigation.
