Russia wants 40 nuke reactors

2006-02-01 21:05

Moscow - Russia's atomic energy chief said on Wednesday that the nation needed to build dozens of nuclear reactors in a massive effort that would require restoring production links with related facilities with other former Soviet nations.

Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency, said that Russia needed to build about 40 new nuclear reactors in order to bring the share of nuclear energy in the nation's energy balance to 25%.

Nuclear power accounts for 16%-17% of Russia's electricity generation.

"We need to build two nuclear reactors a year beginning in 2011-'12," to achieve the goal, said Kiriyenko in the Siberian city of Zheleznogorsk, site of a major nuclear-waste storage facility.

Russia has 31 nuclear reactors and plans to launch three new commercial nuclear reactors in the next five years and upgrade existing ones.

Medium machine-building ministry

In recent years, Russia has overcome a public backlash against nuclear power that followed the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The government has supported an ambitious programme to develop its nuclear industry.

Kiriyenko also said that Russia would need to restore production ties with nuclear-related industries in other former Soviet nations, which were once run by the obliquely named Soviet medium machine-building ministry.

"We need to use the resources of the medium machine-building ministry left in other former Soviet nations to the maximum extent possible," he said.

While major nuclear-related industrial facilities are located in Russia, Kazakhstan is home to key uranium mining facilities and Ukraine manufactures turbines for nuclear power plants.

Kiriyenko also said on Wednesday that the state-controlled Rosenergoatom agency in charge of nuclear power plants would be transformed into a joint stock company within a year, but would remain fully state-owned.

"There will be no private owners," he said.

Need a price policy

Kiriyenko also said Russia would charge a higher price for importing nuclear waste from foreign nations.

"We need a clear and transparent price policy on imports and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel," he said.

"I can't say how much the prices will increase, but they will rise."

Zheleznogorsk now has storage for 6 000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from Soviet-built reactors in Russia and abroad.

It is set to be expanded to hold another 38 000 metric tons of waste by 2009.

Kiriyenko said the Zheleznogorsk facility could become an international centre for storage and reprocessing of nuclear waste.

- AP