The Arctic as a resource base
What’s wrong with Russia’s official documents on the Arctic.
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Publish date: February 4, 2009
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"If there are no unforeseen events(…)then the launch will go according to the timetable," Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko told reporters in the Kremlin.
"The launch is scheduled for this year," he was quoted by Reuters as saying. "I plan to be at the Bushehr plant in February."
A spokesman for Rosatom said Kiriyenko was talking about the so called "technical" start-up, which will be the first time the reactor is fully switched on and aims to test its systems before electricity is supplied to the grid.
The start up the Bushehr plant’s nuclear reactor has frequently been delayed, though Russia last year completed delivery of nuclear fuel to the station under a total contract estimated to be worth about $1 billion.
Russian ministers have said they have seen no hard evidence that Tehran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon while Iran says it has a right to a civilian nuclear programme its energy needs, and insist the plant cannot be used for any weapons projects.
Switching on the Bushehr plant will dismay some in the United States, Israel and Europe who are deeply suspicious of Iran’s intentions.
What’s wrong with Russia’s official documents on the Arctic.
As uranium supplies from Russia fall under the shadow of potential sanctions, and while Ukraine’s allies look to wean themselves off nuclear fuel produced by Moscow’s Rosatom corporation, owners of left-for-dead mines in the US are looking to revive their deposits.
The European Union doubled its purchases of Russian nuclear fuel in 2023, data from Eurostat and the UN’s international trade service Comtrade show.
The output of Russian nuclear power plants in 2023 decreased by 2.8% compared to 2022. A decrease in output occurred for the first time in 10 years a...