Andrey Dukhovensky, head of WWER concepts laboratory of Kurchatov Institute

– It will be very good if we build a modern NPP in Bulgaria

During a press-conference in Sofia on Oct 9 2008 the Vice Premier of Russia Sergey Sobyanin confirmed the deadlines for implementing the Belene NPP project in Bulgaria.

I am glad that a nuclear power plant of our design will be built in Europe (Bulgaria). Our WWER-440 reactors have proved their efficiency in Bulgaria (Kozloduy NPP). It will be very good if we build a modern NPP in that country.

Today, foreign companies offer different NPP construction technologies. The advantage of cooperation with Russia is that our country can supply newly built NPPs with fuel for many years. Our victory at Temelin NPP (the Czech Republic), where we have outrun the Americans for the right to supply the plant with fuel, is quite exemplary. Time has shown that our fuel assemblies are safe and efficiency.

As regards the participation of a German power company in Belene project, I can say that this is quite normal practice for the Europeans. You know that the Germans are yet unable to build their own NPPs because it has a relevant ban adopted on the insistence of the Greens. That’s why in this particular case the Germans are going to invest in a project based on Russian technologies.

The approval of the project by the European Commission has proved once again that Atomstroyexport’s project complies with all European standards and IAEA’s requirements. This is a poof that our plants are very safe as they are based on highly efficient technologies.

But this is not the limit. We must continue developing our technologies so as to be able to reduce the cost of KW and to raise our competitiveness on foreign markets.