OREANDA-NEWS. July 19, 2012. The Credit Rating Service Standard & Poor's raised the short-term rating of the Russian state-owned holding JSC Atomic Energy Power Corporation (Atomenergoprom) from “А-3” up to “А-2.” At the same time, it confirmed the long-term rating of Atomenergoprom of “ВВВ” and national rating of “ruAAA.” The rating forecast if “Stable”.

The increase in the short-term rating of Atomenergoprom is due to a change in the Standard & Poor's methodology that determines the interrelation of short-term and long-term ratings of corporate and sovereign issuers.

Atomenergoprom has become one of the first Russian companies, which short-term rating has been raised because of this reason. Thus, the credit ratings of Atomenergoprom are at the highest possible, sovereign, level and correspond to the credit ratings of the Russian Federation.

The Standard & Poor’s report notes that the company’s business solvency is positively affected by the vertically integrated business model and guaranteed monopoly in the civil nuclear industry in the Russian Federation. Atomenergoprom’s ratings reflect a very high probability of getting a timely and sufficient urgent support by the holding from the Government of the Russian Federation in a stress financial situation. Atomenergoprom’s liquidity indicators are assessed as adequate as per the rating agency’s methodology. The rating agency believes Atomenergoprom has a substantial strength margin in frames of existing covenants on various debt instruments.