News
Publish date: September 28, 1998
Written by: Igor Kudrik
News
Yevgeny Adamov, the acting minister for atomic energy, wants to complete Juragua Nuclear Power Plant in Cuba. A request has been filed to the yet unformed government, said the minister in an interview with RIA Novosti.
The Juragua NPP consists of two Russian VVER-440 PWR reactor units. The construction of the first unit was launched in 1983, work on the second started in 1985. The construction has been halted for the last 6-7 years.
According to Adamov, Havana admits its debts to Russia related to the nuclear power plant, and is ready to give 51% ownership to the Russian side. The fuel for the plant will be shipped from Russia, potentially bringing tens of millions USD profits to the Russian plants manufacturing the fuel.
Earlier this year, Sergey Shoigu, Minister for Emergency Situations, said that earlier projects with Cuba were financed entirely by the government in Moscow, but future deals with that country will be funded by Russia’s private sector. No details were provided, though.
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.