OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2009. Representative of the Governor of Voronezh region I.Mokshakov, Director of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant V.Povarov, Director of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant-2 S.Petrov, Chief Engineer of Atomenergoproekt OJSC V.Zarubayev took part in the opening ceremony.

This is the third such center opened in the framework of a special program of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation with the support of Atomenergoprom OJSC and Energoatom Concern OJSC. Similar centers will shortly be organized in many other regions hosting nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities.

The Center is supposed to contact with schoolchildren, their parents, public organizations, mass media and authorities and to inform them about nuclear energy and nuclear power engineering. It will have a special multimedia program “Voyage into the World of Nuclear Energy,” which will be shown to all visitors. Schoolchildren and their parents will be offered to attend special courses on astronomy, geography, national studies and other subjects.

Head of the Press Service Department of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Novikov said that the key mission of the center was to raise public awareness with a view to overcome the existing stereotypes with respect to nuclear energy. Voronezh region has hosted a nuclear power plant (Novovoronezh NPP) for 45 years already, however, it has not so far had a center where any resident could get information about the nature of nuclear energy and the principles of an NPP’s work. The technologies applied by the center have long been tested under commercial projects. “The Voronezh Center is an absolutely non-profit project. Its key goal is to tell people about nuclear energy in an interesting and attractive way so they want to come here again,” Novikov said.

Representative of the Governor of Voronezh region I. Mokshanov pointed out that it was a very timely project. The Center’s orientation towards schoolchildren is a good basis for further development of nuclear power engineering in the region in terms of both professional orientation and overcoming of radio-phobia. It is very good that the center has been opened in such a big city as Voronezh as most of the region’s information flows and educational institutions are concentrated here.

Director of Novovoronezh NPP V.Povarov said that the Center had a very important mission. “Now that Novovoronezh NPP is steadily increasing its output and enhancing its role in the energy balance of the region, we must more actively work with people so as to improve the image of nuclear energy among wide sections of the population,” Povarov said.

Director of Novovoronezh NPP-2 S.Petrov said that it was a hard job to overcome people’s fear of nuclear energy. “This work is especially important today when we are planning to actively develop our nuclear industry. We are not going to revise our project. Novovoronezh NPP-2 will be launched in 2013 despite any crises,” Petrov said.

The address of the Information Center for Nuclear Energy is Voronezh, 100 Rabochiy Avenue. Tel: (4732) 34 36 33. Working days are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-7:00 PM. Director is Yulia Kuznetsova.