Turboatom
Ukrainian manufacturer and service provider of steam, hydraulic, gas and combined-cycle turbines for power-generation facilities.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Turboatom is a Ukrainian power-engineering company based in Kharkiv and commonly identified with the production, modernization and maintenance of large turbines and related equipment. Its principal customers and applications are in thermal power generation, nuclear power, hydropower, pumped-storage generation and cogeneration. The company has also manufactured gas turbines, combined-cycle equipment and specialized components for power plants. It is described as one of the world’s leading turbine-construction enterprises, operating in a competitive field that includes General Electric, Siemens, Alstom, Power Machines, Andritz Hydro and Voith. The company’s industrial origins date to the construction and commissioning of a Kharkiv turbogenerator plant in the early 1930s. The first stage entered service on 1 May 1932 with planned capacity equivalent to 1.5 million kilowatts of annual steam-turbine production. Its initial workshops included facilities for blades, tooling, miscellaneous components, discs and diaphragms. In its first year the plant produced a hydroelectric generator for the Dzoraget station, a diesel-generator set for the Turkestan–Siberia Railway, turbine blades that had previously been imported, and equipment used to renovate regional power stations. It subsequently expanded into large machining, winding and assembly operations and developed additional turbine-blade designs. During the Second World War, turbine production was interrupted as the enterprise shifted to defense manufacturing, including mortars, and to tank repair. The plant was evacuated during the German advance toward Kharkiv and was divided among several locations. After the city’s liberation in August 1943, the workforce and management began rebuilding the original facility while also helping restore municipal and regional power infrastructure. By the end of 1944, hundreds of machine tools had been returned or installed, and the company was again producing or repairing turbines for Kharkiv, Kyiv and other power stations. A major later turning point was the company’s movement into nuclear-power turbine construction. It began serial production of MK-30, 30-megawatt turbines for industrial and experimental-reactor centers in the 1950s. During the 1970s it became a leading designer and producer of high-capacity steam turbines for nuclear stations, including 500-megawatt units. Between 1982 and 1985 it mastered production of 1,000-megawatt nuclear steam turbines supplied to plants in Ukraine, Russia and Bulgaria. These projects established its reputation in large-scale nuclear turbine engineering. Following Ukrainian independence in 1991, Turboatom continued to serve both domestic and international power markets. In 1998 it withdrew from a proposed arrangement connected with construction of a nuclear power plant in Iran, a decision that reportedly removed a major potential order book. The company later pursued technology and modernization relationships with international engineering firms. Westinghouse Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with Turboatom in 2017 concerning upgrades for Ukraine’s VVER-1000 reactor fleet, and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions signed a further memorandum in 2018. Turboatom also supplied high-pressure cylinders to the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant and entered a five-year modernization contract with Energoatom in 2019 covering condensers and turbines at several Ukrainian nuclear facilities. Ownership and privatization have remained politically significant because of the company’s strategic role in Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. A 15 percent stake was acquired by the Cyprus-registered Linfot Limited after state privatization authorization in 2010. Proposals to privatize the broader state holding were discussed from 2017 onward, with officials considering whether the government should retain at least a controlling share. Although a governmental committee approved a transfer of the state’s approximately 75 percent stake to private ownership in 2018, the privatization process was terminated in 2019 when Turboatom was removed from the relevant list. The supplied sources do not establish a later ownership outcome. Turboatom’s enduring business identity is that of a strategic Ukrainian manufacturer, refurbisher and service partner for large power-generation turbines.
History
Turboatom’s industrial history begins with the creation of a Kharkiv turbogenerator plant during the early Soviet industrialization period. Its first production stage was commissioned on 1 May 1932, with a planned annual capacity equivalent to 1.5 million kilowatts of steam turbines. The original industrial complex included blade, tooling, component, disc and diaphragm workshops. In 1932 it produced a hydroelectric generator for the Dzoraget Hydroelectric Power Station, a diesel-generator unit for the Turkestan–Siberia Railway, and turbine blades that had previously been imported. It also helped renovate ten regional power plants and twelve turbines with combined capacity of 134 megawatts. By the end of that year, engineers had completed the design of a 50-megawatt turbogenerator. The plant continued expanding in 1933, adding large-machining, winding and assembly workshops and mastering production of 24 blade types. It repaired and refurbished turbines for Kashira and other power stations. This early period established the company’s basic capabilities: heavy machining, turbine design, manufacture of precision rotating components and field servicing of power-generation assets. World War II radically changed the enterprise’s activities. Turbine production was suspended while the plant manufactured defense products, including mortars, and repaired tanks. Operations were halted shortly before Kharkiv was occupied on 21 October 1941, while evacuation was already under way. The plant was divided among several locations during evacuation. After Kharkiv was liberated on 23 August 1943, personnel began reconstructing the original facility and restoring regional energy infrastructure. By late 1944, 374 of the 700 machine tools and other items of production equipment specified in the rehabilitation plan had been reinstalled. A further 250 machine tools were installed and commissioned over the following year. The workforce increased from 876 to 1,664 people during that reconstruction period. In 1944, the enterprise restored or equipped turbines for Kharkiv, Kyiv, Sevastopol, Kaluga and the Shterov Power Station. In the postwar decades, Turboatom developed from a general turbine manufacturer into a major supplier of nuclear-power equipment. Serial production of MK-30 turbines rated at 30 megawatts began for mining and chemical centers associated with experimental reactors; the first Kharkiv-built unit entered service at Tomsk in December 1958. During the 1970s the company was approved to manufacture 500-megawatt steam turbines for nuclear power plants. Such turbines were installed at the Leningrad, Kursk and Smolensk nuclear stations. This work positioned Turboatom as a leading enterprise in the design and manufacture of high-capacity nuclear steam turbines. Between 1982 and 1985, the company mastered production of 1,000-megawatt steam turbines. These units were supplied to the South Ukraine, Kalinin, Zaporizhzhia, Balakovo and Rostov nuclear power plants, as well as Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. The program represented a significant expansion in engineering scale and made Turboatom an important supplier across the Soviet nuclear-power system and neighboring export markets. After Ukraine became independent in 1991, the enterprise retained its role in the country’s power-engineering sector while seeking foreign orders and technical cooperation. In 1998, it withdrew from a planned arrangement to assist in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Iran after pressure from the administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton. The abandoned deal was described as commercially significant because it could have occupied a substantial share of the plant’s production capacity for several years. The company’s post-independence history also included repeated debate over ownership. In 2010, after Ukraine authorized privatization of selected strategic enterprises, Linfot Limited acquired 15 percent of Turboatom. Further privatization proposals were discussed in 2017, but political arguments centered on whether the state should retain control. A governmental committee approved the transfer of the state’s approximately 75 percent stake in 2018, yet the government ended the process in 2019 by removing Turboatom from the list of enterprises eligible for privatization. International technology cooperation became another important theme. Westinghouse Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with Turboatom in 2017 relating to upgrades for Ukraine’s thirteen VVER-1000 reactors. Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions followed with a memorandum in 2018. Turboatom also manufactured high-pressure cylinders for the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant in 2018. In 2019 it signed a five-year agreement with Energoatom to modernize condensers and turbines at several Ukrainian nuclear facilities. These projects illustrate the company’s continuing emphasis on lifecycle services and modernization, rather than only new turbine manufacture. The supplied references do not provide enough information to describe later corporate restructuring, current management or current ownership with confidence.
- 2019
Privatization process ended
[1]The government removed Turboatom from the list of enterprises approved for privatization.
- 2019
Energoatom modernization contract signed
[1]Energoatom and Turboatom entered a five-year contract for modernization of condensers and turbines at Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
- 2018
Toshiba memorandum and Armenian supply contract
[1]Turboatom signed a memorandum with Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions and produced high-pressure cylinders for the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.
- 2017
Westinghouse cooperation memorandum signed
[1]Turboatom and Westinghouse agreed to cooperate on modernization associated with Ukraine’s VVER-1000 reactors.
- 2010
Minority stake sold to Linfot Limited
[1]Linfot Limited acquired a 15 percent stake following Ukraine’s authorization of privatization for selected strategic enterprises.
- 1998
Iran nuclear-project arrangement abandoned
[1]Turboatom withdrew from a proposed arrangement connected with construction of a nuclear plant in Iran.
- 1982
Manufacture of 1,000-megawatt turbines mastered
[1]During 1982–1985, Turboatom developed production capability for 1,000-megawatt nuclear steam turbines supplied to several plants in the Soviet Union and Bulgaria.
- 1970
High-capacity nuclear turbine production approved
[1]Turboatom was approved to manufacture 500-megawatt steam turbines for nuclear power plants.
- 1958
First MK-30 nuclear-sector turbine entered service
[1]The first Kharkiv-built 30-megawatt MK-30 turbine began operating at Tomsk in December.
- 1943
Reconstruction began after Kharkiv’s liberation
[1]The enterprise began restoring its factory, equipment and workforce after Kharkiv was liberated on 23 August.
Products and positioning
A strategic Ukrainian heavy power-engineering manufacturer specializing in large turbines, turbine components, modernization and maintenance for nuclear, thermal and hydroelectric generation.
Power-generation equipment
Steam turbines
Turboatom’s core product area is the design, manufacture, refurbishment and servicing of steam turbines. The company has supplied units for thermal power stations, nuclear power plants and cogeneration facilities, ranging from early industrial machines to very large nuclear turbines rated at 500 and 1,000 megawatts. Its historical nuclear-turbine portfolio includes equipment installed at power stations in Ukraine, Russia and Bulgaria.
Hydropower equipment · 1932
Hydraulic turbines and hydroelectric generators
The company manufactures and services hydraulic turbines for conventional hydroelectric stations and pumped-storage plants. Its early production record included a hydroelectric generator for the Dzoraget Hydroelectric Power Station, demonstrating that hydropower equipment was part of the enterprise’s portfolio from its first operating period.
Thermal power equipment
Gas and combined-cycle turbines
Turboatom’s stated product scope includes gas turbines and combined-cycle turbines for thermal power plants. These products complement its steam-turbine business and support power stations that combine gas-turbine generation with steam-cycle recovery and production.
Power-plant modernization
Turbine condensers and modernization systems
In addition to new turbine manufacture, Turboatom provides equipment modernization and maintenance. Its 2019 agreement with Energoatom covered modernization of condensers and turbines at several Ukrainian nuclear facilities, illustrating the company’s role in extending the operating life and performance of existing plants.
Turbine components · 2018
High-pressure turbine cylinders
Turboatom produces specialized heavy-engineering components for nuclear and other power facilities. In 2018, its specialists manufactured CNT-1 high-pressure cylinders for the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, providing an example of its export component business.
Brand decisions
2019
Privatization process terminatedStrategyBackground
Although a governmental committee had approved transferring the state’s approximately 75 percent stake to private ownership in 2018, the company’s strategic status remained contested.
Action taken
The government removed Turboatom from the list of enterprises cleared for privatization.
Aftermath
The planned sale did not proceed according to the supplied reference material, leaving the later ownership position unspecified.
2019
Five-year modernization agreement with EnergoatomOtherBackground
Ukrainian nuclear facilities required modernization of aging turbine and condenser systems.
Action taken
Energoatom and Turboatom signed a five-year contract covering condenser and turbine modernization at several Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Aftermath
The agreement reinforced Turboatom’s role as a long-term service and modernization provider for Ukraine’s nuclear-generation fleet.
2017
Consideration of privatization while retaining state controlStrategyBackground
Ukraine discussed privatizing Turboatom as part of a broader reform agenda. The company was considered strategically important because of its role in national power infrastructure.
Action taken
Officials floated privatization while Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman argued that the state should retain at least a 51 percent controlling stake.
Aftermath
A later government decision ended the privatization process in 2019 by removing Turboatom from the approved list.
2017
Cooperation with Westinghouse on VVER-1000 modernizationStrategyBackground
Ukraine sought to upgrade its nuclear-generation assets and deepen cooperation with international nuclear and power-engineering companies.
Action taken
Turboatom and Westinghouse signed a memorandum of understanding concerning upgrades for Ukraine’s VVER-1000 reactor fleet.
Aftermath
The memorandum strengthened Turboatom’s position as a domestic engineering and equipment partner for Ukrainian nuclear-plant modernization.
1998
Withdrawal from the proposed Iran nuclear-project arrangementStrategyBackground
Turboatom had been expected to assist with a nuclear power project in Iran. The arrangement was abandoned after pressure from the administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton and was described as commercially important for the Kharkiv enterprise.
Action taken
The company backed out of the proposed deal rather than proceeding with the planned supply and construction involvement.
Aftermath
The withdrawal reportedly removed a potential order book equivalent to a substantial portion of the factory’s output for several years and was viewed as a serious blow to the regional economy.
Sources1 sources
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