HTS current leads for the NICA accelerator complex

•Two 12 kA and 20 10.5 kA 1G HTS current leads were manufactured for the NICA accelerator.•An original stack-and-soldering technique for 1G HTS tapes was developed.•Nitrogen-cooled heat exchangers made of brass are robust and reliable.•The heat load into the cryogenic environment less than 0.3 W/kA per 1CL was obtained.•The cold tests demonstrated the reliability of described technological approaches.•The next 10 pairs of 10.5 kA current leads are to be manufactured in 2018.