Igor Konyshev, Head of Department for Communication with Public Organizations and Regions of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation

– Construction of a big facility like NPP is always a stimulus for economic growth

Public hearings on the preliminary assessment of the environmental impact of the construction and operation of the 1st and 2nd units of Baltic Nuclear Power Plant took place in Neman, Kaliningrad region, today, July 24 2009. The keynote speaker was the chief engineer of the Baltic NPP project of St.Petersburg Atomenergoproekt Ivan Grabelnikov.

Representatives of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, Energoatom Concern OJSC, St.Petersburg Atomenergoproekt, the executive and legislative authorities of Kaliningrad region, public organizations and mass media as well as residents of Neman district and neighboring Chernyakhovsk and Krasnoznamensk districts and Sovetsky municipal district took part in the hearings.

To remind, Apr 16 2008 the Government of Kaliningrad region and Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation signed an agreement for the construction of Baltic Nuclear Power Plant in the territory of the region.

Baltic NPP will have two 1,170MW reactors. The estimated cost of the project is 194bln RUR in the prices of the first quarter of 2009.

The construction of a big facility like nuclear power plant is always a stimulus for economic growth. Generally such projects involve some 7,000–8,000 people. Our policy is to lean on local construction forces
 
The companies involved in the construction will pay taxes and spend their money within the boundaries of the region. It will be a kind of multiplicative effect from global investments. The plant will be a stable source of tax revenues just like all the existing NPPs are. For example, in 2008 Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant paid 1.350bln RUR in taxes.