Sergey Boyarkin, Deputy Director General of Energoatom Concern OJSC

– There can be no sinks at the site selected for the construction of Nizhniy Novgorod NPP

Public hearings on the preliminary environmental impact assessment of the construction and operation of the 1st and 2nd units of Nizhniy Novgorod Nuclear Power Plant took place in Navashino, Nizhniy Novgorod region on Sept 4 2009.

There can be no sinks at the site selected for the construction of NPP in Navashino district of Nizhniy Novgorod region. There were two potential sites – Navashino and Uren. Their survey has shown that the Uren site also has the sinkhole problem. But Uren is a seismically risky area (it can have earthquakes of as many as 7 points) while in Navashino the maximum magnitude does not exceed 5 points. Nizhniy Novgorod NPP is designed to stand an earthquake of 8 points but we have preferred to be on the safe side of it and have selected the less risky site. Seismic situation was decisive for our choice.

Nizhniy Novgorod NPP is a serial project. A similar project is presently being implemented at Novovoronezh NPP-2. The general designer is Nizhniy Novgorod Atomenergoproekt (part of Atomenergoprom), the owner is Energoatom Concern OJSC (100% subsidiary of Atomenergoprom OJSC).

The plant will have two 1,170MW reactors and will generate over 17bln KWh a year and employ as many as 1,000 people. At the peak time the construction will involve as many as 8,000 people. The 1st reactor is supposed to be launched in 2017. The plant will be situated in Navashino district of Nizhniy Novgorod region.

The analysis of the power and capacity balance in Nizhniy Novgorod region has shown that in 2007 the region was short of 1,800MW while in 2020 it will need as much as 4,000MW.

This is a socially significant project: it will give the region 40bln RUR in profit tax, 50bln RUR in property tax, 1bln RUR in land tax and 50bln RUR in transport tax.