Konstantin Zaytsev, Vice Chairman of State Duma Energy Committee

– Energy is one of the key factors of economic growth

On June 3 Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko reported to the State Duma on the development of nuclear industry.

The crisis has affected many sectors of the Russian industry: most of them are struggling for survival. But we also have sectors that are developing despite the crisis. And, today, it is more important to support the developing sectors than the declining ones. Nuclear power industry is one of such sectors. This sector is not curtailing its investment programs but is just postponing some of them. But there is one important fact about nuclear power engineering: one job in the nuclear industry creates ten jobs in related sectors. Today, the nuclear power industry is the key customer of the machine building and construction sectors. Thus, by financing this sector the Government is indirectly supporting many other sectors. For example, so as to be able to fulfill Rosatom’s contracts Izhorskiye Zavody is undergoing serious modernization: this program will allow that company to effectively implement contracts and to preserve its human and industrial resources for many years. 

The decision to place Atomenergoprom’s 100bln RUR bond loan is also oriented towards the future: this money will be spent not on operations or salaries but on sustainable development.

One more proof of Rosatom’s effective work is the federal target program for the development of new technologies in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. The heated debates on this program are over and, now, we can see the contours of the future nuclear industry. We are not starting from zero: we have a unique project – the fast-breeder reactor operated at Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant.

I think that we must avail ourselves of the present situation. The point is that the crisis has its reverse side: the prices of materials are dropping, lots of highly qualified people are losing jobs and we can involve them in our NPP construction projects.