ST. PETERSBURG, June 3 /TASS/. Humanity could have a virtually inexhaustible energy source after 2034 based on Generation IV nuclear reactor technologies being developed in Russia, Yevgeny Adamov, scientific director of Rosatom's Proryv (Breakthrough) project, said in an interview with TASS.

"If this work is brought (by Rosatom) to an industrial scale, and I have no doubt it will be, humanity will have a virtually inexhaustible source of energy. Not for a hundred years, as is the case now, but for millennia. A new nuclear energy platform is a clean, safe, economically competitive source that strengthens the non-proliferation regime. This means it is the foundation for a sustainable energy future for the planet," he said during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026).

Adamov noted that nuclear energy must be safe by design, realizing the full energy potential of uranium raw materials, and not leaving any unsolvable problems for future generations. "It must be protected from proliferation by its architecture itself, not just by safeguards. And it must return to the earth's surface exactly the radioactivity it extracted, in the same state. It will be pointless if it doesn't become competitive. This is the essence of the fourth-generation principles, and this is exactly what we are implementing at Breakthrough," he said.

About forum

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is taking place on June 3-6 and is the 29th edition. This year, the event is held under the theme "Pragmatic Dialogue: the Path to a Stable Future." Saudi Arabia is the guest country at SPIEF. The forum program is dedicated to shaping a new model of global development amid the ongoing transformation of the world economy.

The program includes the SME Forum, the Creative Industries Forum, the Day of the Future International Youth Economic Forum, and the Ensuring Drug Security Forum. As part of the cultural program, the Petersburg Seasons festival and the traditional SPIEF Sports Games will take place. This year, Russia’s national economic development institution VEB.RF is the title partner of SPIEF.

The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. TASS is its official general information partner.