Konstantin Zaytsev, vice chairman of State Duma Energy Committee

– By getting this contract Russia will confirm once again that it is one of the leaders of the nuclear energy market

During a meeting in Minsk on Jan 21 2009 representatives of the Government of Belarus and Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation agreed to complete the drafting and to sign an inter-governmental agreement for peaceful use of nuclear energy in the first quarter of 2009. This agreement is expected to pave the way for direct negotiations on the contract for the turn-key construction of the first NPP in Belarus. First Vice Premier of Belarus Vladimir Semashko said that the Byelorussian authorities were inclined towards the project offered by Atomstroyexport CJSC. The parties have agreed to sign the document in 2009.

By deciding to sing an inter-governmental agreement with Russia in the first quarter of this year Belarus has showed that it will hardly announce a tender for selecting constructor for its first nuclear power plant. It seems that President Lukashenko has already decided that the plant will be built by a Russian company. In the near future Belarus will most probably sign a framework agreement with Russia, after which it will be able to start negotiations with Atomstroyexport CJSC.

Belarus is short of energy and seeks energy independence. It is quite logical that the general contractor of the project will be Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation. First, Russia is natural economic partner for Belarus. Second, we have common scientific past and our nuclear energy sector is all but terra incognita for Byelorussian scientists. Third, Rosatom enjoys very high international reputation, which has been confirmed by successful contracts in India, China, Bulgaria, Slovakia and other states. So, the interest of Belarus in Russian nuclear reactors is quite natural and based on pragmatism.

By getting this contract Russia will confirm once again that it is one of the leaders of the nuclear energy market and will further enlarge its world’s biggest portfolio of foreign nuclear energy contracts.