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Publish date: January 28, 2005
News
According to Rumyantsev, it can be explained by the higher prices for the nuclear fuel and uranium products in 2004. The Russian-American HEU-LEU contract generates a stable annual income equal $450-470m, TVEL corporation earned $1 billion, he added. HEU-LEU contract was signed about 11 years ago and stipulates down-blending of the weapon grade plutonium into the low enrichment uranium, which could be used as fuel at the US nuclear plants.
Alexander Rumyantsev complained that no new contracts for nuclear power plants construction abroad has been signed in 2004, but in 2005 China might announce a tender for construction of two reactor units. The head of Rosatom also mentioned that all the technical problems (cracks on the steam generator pipes) at the first reactor unit of Tianwan nuclear power plant, are solved. The first reactor is practically ready for start-up he added. Rosatom representatives are hoping to launch the second reactor at the Tianwan nuclear power plant in the end of this year, Kommersant reported.
Concerning India, Rumyantsev said there are factors for delay in the construction schedule again due to the equipment faults, but it could be solved as well. Cooperation with Iran did not raise big concerns and reactor in Bushehr is to be launched in the end of this year, and connected to the grid in 2006, Rumyantsev said. It goes well with foreign cooperation as we manage to build five units simultaneously, but we are building to little home complained the head of the Russian Nuclear Agency.
On December 16, 2004, unit no.3 was launched at the Kalinin NPP. The completion of the resumed reactors construction turned out to be more expensive than construction of a new reactor abroad the price-tag for the new third reactor at the Kalinin NPP reached $1.3 billion. Rosatom specialists have not decided yet which unit should be completed next. There are three unfinished reactors in Russia: the unit no.2 at the Volgodonsk NPP, unit no.5 at the Balakovo NPP, and unit no.5 at the Kursk NPP, Kommersant reported.
Recent attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war," the UN atomic agency's director general said last week.
After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.
In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our main focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution risks and climate change.