OREANDA-NEWS. April 20, 2009. During his working tour of the Central Federal District, Apr 15, 2009, Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin visited Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant (Udomlia, Tver region), where he held a conference on problems of the national nuclear industry.

The vice premiers Igor Sechin, Sergey Sobyanin and Sergey Ivanov, Minister of Energy Sergey Shmatko, Head of the Military Industrial Complex Igor Boroviov, Head of Rostekhnadzor Nikolay Kutyin, Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko, Governor of Tver region Dmitry Zelenin, Director General of Energoatom Concern OJSC Sergey Obozov and other officials took part in the meeting.

While speaking about the prospects of the nuclear industry Putin said: “The situation in the economy will be changing and the demand for energy will be gradually growing. Experts say that in 2012 we will return to the pre-crisis energy consumption level.”

Putin said that the Government had already approved the list of its priority projects till 2010. The development of the nuclear power industry and the nuclear weapons complex is one of the four primary pilot projects. “Its implementation will allow us to increase the production of energy at our existing nuclear reactors, to strengthen our leadership in the field of fabrication of nuclear fuel, to introduce most advanced technologies in the field of disposal of radioactive waste and to carry out a number of other ecological measures.”

The share of nuclear power plants in the total energy production in Russia must be increased to 25%-30% despite the financial crisis (from present-day 16%).

Head of Rosatom State Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko said that in 2008 the Russian nuclear power plants showed all-time high output: 162.3bln KWh. “We did it without building new reactors by just enhancing the efficiency of our existing plants.”

Kiriyenko said that five construction projects are underway for the moment. “In 2009 we are supposed to commission the 2nd unit of Rostov Nuclear Power Plant and to continue the construction of the 4th unit of Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant (to be launched in 2011), the 4th unit of unique Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant with innovative fast-breeder reactor BN-800 and the first two units of Novovoronezh NPP-2 and Leningrad NPP-2 (to be launched in 2012 and 2013, respectively.)”

Putin instructed Rosatom to allocate additional 50bln RUR as property contribution for the implementation of priority target projects. In order to implement its investment programs in 2009 Rosatom is also planning to secure additional 26bln RUR by placing infrastructure bonds (the bonds will be issued by Atomenergoprom OJSC under Rosatom’s guarantees).

On the instruction of the Prime Minister, Rosatom has drafted a federal target program “Nuclear Power Technologies of New Generation.” “By 2015–2017 we are planning to enter the market with a new product. The program is based on the fast-breeder reactor technology. We are some 10 years ahead of our rivals in this field and we must not lose this advantage. The program has been coordinated and we are waiting for the final decision,” Kiriyenko said.

Putin said that the Government had already budgeted 73.3bln RUR for Energoatom Concern’s investment program 2009 (the total amount of investments is 160bln RUR).

“Nuclear industry has always been one of our most powerful assets. I believe that, if, today, we correctly formulate our priorities, in the future, it will boost the development of our country, its economy and science,” Putin said in conclusion.