Obozov and Shmatko going to Bulgaria

President of JSC Atomstroyexport Serguey Shmatko and head of Rosenergoatom company Serguey Obozov left Moscow for three-days visit in Bulgaria. They are going to meet their Bulgarian counterparts and discuss the details of Belene NPP construction.

Last year, JSC Atomstroyexport has been announced as a winner of the international bid to construct two reactor units in Bulgaria. The selected type of reactors is the VVER-1000 (NPP-92 model). Recently, the Russian and Bulgarian nuclear experts are preparing the General Contract.

The interest of Rosenergoatom is linked to the Soviet-era equipment, which is stored on Belene site, especially ready-to-use reactor vessel. Most probably, the Russian power company would buy it for installation in Kalinin-4 unit to be completed around 2010.

No nuclear power for Far East

No nuclear power plant will be constructed in the Russian Far East, CEO of local power company said.

Mr. Victor Myasnik explained to the journalists that the nuclear power is not competitive in the Far East region in comparison to the coal plant. "Now the atomic generation is cheap only in that plants, which have been constructed 20-30 ago," he said.

However, Myasnik does not reject the possibility of future changes in his statement. We are talking about construction of the nuclear power plant in the future, he accepts.

Uranium from Kurgan would be given to TVEL company

Famous Russian TVEL fuel company can receive the 20-year license for development of Dobrovolnoye uranium deposit in the Kurgan region. The final decision would be done by Uralnedra licensing agency till March 15, 2007.

The capacity of the Dobrovolnoye deposit is 7400 metric tons of uranium as well as 165 tons of scandium, 16 tons of rhenium and 3680 tons of rare-earth metals.

The increasing of uranium mining capacity is very important task for the Russian nuclear industry. Till now, Russia consumes more uranium than mines it. Today the main source of uranium supply for Russia is the Soviet warehouses, which could be exhausted in less than a decade.

SOURCE: AtomInfo.Ru

DATE: Feb 14, 2007

Topics: NPP, Uranium, Russia, NPP Belene, Bulgaria