Rosatom has selected a site in Krasnokamensk and started design work on a hydrometallurgical plant, which extracts uranium from ore using chemical solutions, the Russian state corporation said on November 3. The plant is planned to have a capacity of 11,000 tonnes of uranium oxide a year.

Rosatom's publication Strana Rosatom said the plant would process uranium and uranium-molybdenum ores from the Argunskoye and Zherlovoe deposits, as well as concentrates from other Rosatom deposits in Russia and abroad. Project surveys have been conducted and supporting infrastructure for the facility provided, it said. It gave no timescale for construction of what it described as the largest such facility in Russia.

The plant is being designed with end-to-end digitalization of the production cycle and automated and robotic systems, Strana Rosatom said. The robotics are intended to minimize direct worker exposure to hazardous substances and reduce manual labor.

Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources said funding for uranium exploration had increased six-fold this year. The ministry said new production capacity was intended to establish a fuel supply base for Rosatom's projects in Russia and abroad and to meet partners' needs amid growing demand for nuclear power generation.

Russia produced 2,738 tonnes of uranium in 2024, the sixth-largest amount, according to the World Nuclear Association. Kazakhstan produced 23,270 tonnes and Canada 14,309 tonnes.