OREANDA-NEWS. September 20, 2010. Demand for gas at the world market will grow in the nearest future, and only nuclear power can be viewed as an alternative to hydrocarbons in the next decades, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin thinks.

“In general, the gas market is recovering. The question of shale gas in the USA is very difficult”, Putin said in answer to the question of the Valdai Club members.

“Certainly, it provokes competition to our products at the world markets. But it’s a difficult question from the point of view of ecology — water will be pumped there from the field where gas is produced. It’s a very serious question. The cost — it should be considered, possible production volume, how and where it will be supplied,” he noted.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the Russian Gazprom has competitors — in particular, gas from Qatar.

“They had to go (to Europe) since the American partners sort of closed the market for them. What does it point to? It points only to the fact that our producers are supposed to be more efficient. Nothing more. We don’t see any catastrophe here,” Putin said. As explained by the Prime Minister, in some respect their income will decrease, and somewhere increase.

“Taking into account the world increase of energy consumption I don’t see any problems at all. According to the specialists’ research, the increase of power resources consumption will constantly grow,” Head of the Government said.

In which case, he emphasized, there will be almost no changes in the pattern of consumption despite the efforts aimed at alternative fuels development. “There will be some change but insignificant. Large power plant won’t operate on wind power anyway. In the nearest decades it’s just impossible,” Putin thinks. He turned attention to Germany government decision to extend NPPs’ operation.

“But why? Simply there is no alternative. This is the reason. There can be only one real, mighty alternative to hydrocarbons — nuclear power industry. This alternative exists. It does exist,” he stated.

In his opinion, another strategy is just “trifling”.

The Valdai Club named so in honour of the place of its first meeting was organized in collaboration with RIA Novosti jointly with the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (CFDP), Russia Profile.org, Russia in Global Affairs magazines and The Moscow News newspaper. There are about three hundred former politicians, political analysts, lawyers, writers, journalists from fifteen countries among the club participants.