President of Russia Vladimir Putin January 9, 2014 in Novo-Ogarevo residence had a meeting with ROSATOM’s CEO Sergey Kirienko. The latter reported that the public corporation’s foreign orders portfolio to date comprised 20 reactors and a possibility of building about 40 more reactors was under discussion. “A total amount of contracts we have is 20 reactors. After Fukushima we have doubled the number of orders and this when the market has slipped slightly in general. Forty more contracts are under consideration. I hope every other of these projects, as minimum, will be brought up to the corresponding contract,” he said.
S. Kirienko elaborated on the new nuclear construction contracts in China and India. He reminded that in China the Russian specialists have already built two reactors of Tianwan nuclear power plant (NPP) and the Chinese partners, having seen how they operate, have elected to continue the cooperation. “It is important that they have made this decision, because the Chinese build nuclear reactors themselves, the Americans and French build there as well. There is a tough competition, in other words. So they have ordered two more reactors in the conditions of such competition, and the work has already started,” the head of ROSATOM emphasized.
The work is under way on building new reactors at Kudankulam NPP, according to S. Kirienko. “The Indian Government is finally settling the issue of civil liability for damage. We submitted a revision and expect a response soon,” the head of ROSATOM said. He also emphasized that the Indian partners “confirmed adherence to the roadmap (of new reactor construction),” which had been signed during Putin’s latest visit to Delhi.
S. Kirienko said the next in the row project was Vietnam. “We have a signed contract for four reactors on one site, the Vietnamese partners want to increase the number of sites,” he said.
In Turkey the preparatory work nears completion, according to the head of ROSATOM who said: “Orders for the critical equipment have emerged, the licensing was completed in 2013, the plant design process was finished late December, and the project is being submitted to the regulatory authorities.”
Summing up results of 2013, S. Kirienko reminded that ROSATOM had released Bushehr NPP in Iran to the customers, first reactor of Kudankulam NPP was started in India, and the first concrete was poured at the third and fourth reactors at Tianwan NPP. Besides, “the first concrete was poured to build the main building in Belarus, at Ostrovets nuclear power plant,” according to S. Kirienko. The head of ROSATOM reminded that preparations of the infrastructure to build NPP in Jordan have started (Russia won the international tender to build this plant).
He also mentioned the contract to build a NPP in Finland. “We get the contract; the plant itself costs a lot, and then we have a contract for all of the equipment, which is manufactured at the Russian enterprises plus a fuel supply contract. And this is a new generation plant, which has a guaranteed service life of 60 years. But actually, we proceed from the fact that it will operate for not less than 80 years. It means 80 years of fuel supplies, maintenance and repair services. These add two times the same to the plant costs. Actual construction works to build the plant will start in about two years,” the head of ROSATOM said.
During the meeting Sergey Kirienko also stated that this year the reactor start-ups are expected at “the Soviet style” rate. “Now, we are building nine reactors in this country,” S. Kirienko pointed out. In particular, the first power of Beloyarsk plant’s first reactor may take place late this summer. “The minimum controlled power is to be reached in March and the first power is to be in the late summer,” he said. According to S. Kirienko, in the end of 2014 Russia plans to start up two more reactors. “We must start up Rostov plant; preliminary we scheduled this for 2015. Also, we scheduled the first criticality at Novovoronezh NPP,” the head of ROSATOM stated.
Russia is building up the nuclear build orders portfolio while not jeopardizing most rigorous safety requirements for nuclear facilities. “All this growth is not at the expense or in the prejudice of the safety. All safety indicators are being improved,” the head of ROSATOM said at the meeting with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, demonstrating the World Association of Nuclear Operators’ data to the head of state. “The most important indicator is an annual number of scrams. In 2013 we had this twice better than in Europe,” S. Kirienko state.