Aggressive plans buck global trend away from nuclear energy...
The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry's first priority for the future is to complete the power units of a number of Russian atomic power stations.
A spokesman for the ministry said that "the ministry and concern plan to complete and commission the third power unit of the Kalinin atomic power plant in 2004, the fifth unit of the Kursk atomic power plant in 2005, the second unit of the Volgodonsk atomic power plant in 2005 and the fifth unit of the Balakovo atomic power plant in 2006". The ministry recalled that "the Kursk atomic power plant is already one of the most powerful power plants of Russia and with the commissioning of the fifth unit it will become the country's most powerful power plant".
The Rosenergoatom concern said that "the Kursk atomic power plant generated 23,289m kWh of electricity" in 2003. "This is the best electricity output which has been achieved since 1990," it said. It also stressed that "in line with a task set by the Federal Energy Commission for 2004, this atomic power plant should generate 24.3bn kWh of electricity".
The ministry also noted that "not only real prospects for developing power engineering in central Russia but also large-scale projects in other spheres of this and neighbouring regions are connected to" successful and safe work of the Kursk atomic power plant and increase in its capacity.
In 2004, the ministry spokesman said, Rosenergoatom allocated R5bn from its special investment funds for completing the Kursk atomic power plant's fifth unit which has already been completed for 75 per cent. Up to 10 per cent of these funds "are being spent on the social and culture spheres of the district which houses the station", he said.
