A major overhaul of Russia’s nuclear industry could begin early next year, according to atomic energy minister Yevgeni Adamov. He said the government was considering an amendment to plans submitted earlier this year which would result in a general restructuring of Minatom. The amended proposals call for setting up two companies: one umbrella company for all Russian nuclear power plants, and another bringing together all the nuclear fuel supply enterprises.
The new generating company would see the existing e ight nuclear plants of the Rosenergoatom utility joined by the Leningrad plant (which is currently managed directly by Minatom) and the new Rostov plant, unit 1 of which is scheduled to enter commercial operation before the end of this year. Nuclear fuel manufacturing and supply enterprises, such as the state-owned TVEL and Techsnabexport, would be part of a new Rosatomprom concern.
The proposal for a nuclear generating company was handed to the government on 15 November, and was formally submitted for consideration on 14 December. Formation of of unified nuclear generating company would speed up construction of new nuclear power stations, and would enable financial resources to be centralised and used for priority projects.
In the meantime, a new g enerating company has been formed comprising eight nuclear power plants, the TVEL Nuclear Fuel-Producing concern, and several export companies. The power plants are: Balakova, Kalinin, Kola, Kursk, Leningrad, Novovoronezh, Rostov, and Smolensk, according to Valentin Ivanov, deputy minister of atomic energy. The aim is to mobilise the investment component of the enterprises joining the company in order to achieve the sector’s strategic tasks. One of these tasks is to complete the construction of Rostov 2 in order to sell electricity to Turkey at the price of 2-2.5 cents/kWh.
