News
Publish date: February 26, 1998
Written by: Igor Kudrik
News
Russia will continue to help Cuba build Juragua nuclear power plant, reported Interfax quoting Russian Minister for Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu. According to Shoigu, whereas earlier projects with Cuba were financed entirely by the government in Moscow, future deals with that country will be funded by Russia’s private sector. Shoigu did not go into details about the potential funders.
The Juragua nuclear power plant consists of two PWR reactor units of Russian VVER-440 type. The construction of the first unit was launched in 1983, the works on the second started in 1985. The construction has been at stand-by during the last 6-7 years.
Throughout the past year, our mission at the Bellona Environmental Transparency Center has focused on two key, but intertwined issues—nuclear and radiation safety as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags on, and the worldwide influence of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, which itself is actively involved in the war and has participated in the occupation of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant.
At the beginning of the year, reports in the German and Russian press suggested an approximate 70% increase in uranium imports from Russia to Germany in 2024. But does this reflect broader European trends? It does not. Overall, imports of uranium and nuclear fuel from Russia to Western countries actually dropped sharply in 2024. Unlike the situation in Germany, this is already an established trend.
A Lingen, Germany plant could begin producing nuclear fuel in cooperation with a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, which is directly involved in the war in Ukraine and occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.