Konstantin Zaytsev, Vice Chairman of Energy Committee of State Duma

– Among the participants in Atomexpo 2009 are such big companies as Siemens and Areva

In 2009 the Government of Russia will allocate almost $4.5bln for the support of the national nuclear industry, Vice Premier of Russia-Head of the Staff of the Government of Russia Sergey Sobyanin said during Atomexpo forum. He said that nuclear energy was one of the key priorities of the Russia-Europe cooperation. Director General of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko said that despite its focus on national equipment Rosatom was open for international partnership and was ready to take part in international projects on parity basis. Rosatom supposes that the demand for electricity will be restored in no earlier than two years and, therefore, is revising its NPP construction plans: now, we are planning to start building two reactors a year in 2014–2015.

Among the participants in Atomexpo 2009 are such big companies as Siemens and Areva. Atomexpo is becoming a serious international forum, a place where companies make billions’ worth contracts, where officials announce national priorities, where legislators discuss ways to support the energy sector.

The statement of Vice Premier Sergey Sobyanin that, despite the economic crisis, the Government is not going to stop building nuclear reactors means that we are not going to give up our plans to develop our nuclear industry. Economic crises pass and you can’t build power plants in a year. So, we must use all of our economic and budgetary resources. Even under crisis NPP construction projects remain a source of jobs and a guarantee of industrial development.