Russian 'Nuclear Renaissance' Hits Roadblock

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http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/marketwire/article.jsp?content=20090226_111505_1_ccn_ccn

Feb 26, 2009
Russian 'Nuclear Renaissance' Hits Roadblock
Financial resources and technical capabilities thwart ambitious plans

WATERLOO (Marketwire) - Russia's ambitions for its "nuclear renaissance" face many obstacles, concludes a report released today by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

The Russian Nuclear Industry: Status and Prospects provides a detailed analysis of the current state of the nuclear power industry in Russia and shows that although this industry has recently been greeted with renewed funding and enthusiasm, achieving its ambitious plans will require it to overcome considerable problems and limitations.

"Continuing a tendency from Soviet-era days, the Russian government has shown a predilection for developing grandiose plans for the expansion of the nuclear energy sector that are not fulfilled," writes Miles Pomper, author of the paper. "While the first post-Soviet nuclear plans called for a total of 38 new nuclear reactors to be built, only three have actually been constructed and with capabilities that are not superior or even equal to its Western competitors."

The author examines Russia's plans to recombine the nuclear complex into one entity in order to centralize control, promote investment in profit-generating projects, and attempt to make the industry self-supporting by 2015. He argues that financial resources and technical capabilities will stand in the way of the country meeting its goals of both rapidly developing new reactors and fostering a fully self-sustaining nuclear industry by 2015, especially if Russia will have to decommission many of its aging Soviet-era nuclear reactors and deal with the growing problem of nuclear waste.

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To view or download a free copy of this report, please visit www.cigionline.org/publications

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