Konstantin Zaytsev, vice chairman of State Duma Energy Committee

– Signing of a nuclear energy agreement with Japan is a big achievement for Russia

During a meeting in Tokyo on May 12 2009 Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Hirofumi Nakasone signed an inter-governmental agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. The document is aimed at laying a firm legal basis for the actively developing Russian-Japanese cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. The agreement covers a wide range of activities: prospecting and mining of uranium; engineering, construction and operation of light water reactors; processing and treatment of radioactive waste; nuclear safety and ecological control; study and use of radio-isotopes and radiation. The document says that the parties may exchange of experience and experts, provide services and supply materials, products and technologies. The official period of the agreement is 25 years but, de facto, it will be an open-ended agreement unless either of the parties decides to terminate it. The new large-scale Russian-Japanese inter-governmental agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy has replaced the Soviet-Japanese agreement signed Apr 18 1991 and is expected to foster joint projects. Now the agreement is to be ratified by the Russian and Japanese parliaments.

The signing of a nuclear energy agreement with Japan is a big achievement for Russia. This document considers almost all aspects of our relations and has been signed despite the lack of a peace treaty. This is the result of the open policy of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation on the international market. Today, Rosatom is a worthy match to the world’s leaders in the field of nuclear power engineering. And Japan is one of them.

The conclusion of such an agreement based on mutual benefit and perfect awareness of the parties what they want from one another would be impossible were it not for Russia’s active efforts to reform its nuclear industry and to adjust its high technologies to the global market conditions.

Joint projects in the field of nuclear fuel cycle will bring the parties to a new qualitative level. This may also result in the formation of consortiums, which might build nuclear power plants in third countries.

The parties are also considering the possibility of building a uranium enrichment plant in Japan or some other state. Russia is interested in Japan’s experience of management of NPP construction projects and introduction of innovative technologies and materials. This will help us to substantially reduce the duration of our NPP construction projects in Russia and abroad.