Ekaterina Guseva, Director of the RusCable.Ru Marketing Portal, Chief Editor of “ELECTRICITY. Transmission and Distribution” (www.eepr.ru ) and “CABLE-News” (www.kabel-news.ru) magazines:

 — The decision to build Russian NPP in Turkey is not only economic (Russian NPPs are cheaper), but rather political.

On July 14 the Turkish Parliament ratified the Russian-Turkish agreement on building the country’s first nuclear power plant. The agreement was signed on May 12, 2010 in Ankara. In accordance with the document, Russia and Turkey will cooperate in the sphere of construction and operation of NPP, located in Akkuyu in the southern province of Mersin. After the agreement enters into force the Russian side will start the procedure of establishment of a project company. The future NPP is expected to have capacity of 4800 mW, which will comprise 14% of the current amount of power produced by Turkey.

Ekaterina Guseva, Director of the RusCable.Ru Marketing Portal, Chief Editor of “ELECTRICITY. Transmission and Distribution” (www.eepr.ru ) and “CABLE-News” (www.kabel-news.ru) magazines:

Every country is eager to enter foreign markets with goods which are in demand and are considered to be exclusive. Therefore, the level of a country’s development can be judged upon the type of this product. If these are bananas, oranges and coffee – these are «banana» countries, if oil products, timber and minerals – these are countries with the economy were the raw material component predominates. The highly developed countries are obliged to submit to the foreign market high technology products and compete in this area.

The modernization of our economy, which the RF President always speaks about, shall guarantee the country a place in the sun. To do this, we shall learn how to compete with the highly developed countries.

Russia is good at selling raw materials and weapons, but it is not enough. Construction of abroad NPPs is a way to promote our technologies, developments and programs as well as an opportunity to teach the nuclear industry to compete.

If Rosatom enters the international markets Russia will have the following benefits: appearance of new jobs in the industry, expanding the capacities of high-tech service industries in developing and implementing of new program products, attracting of new investments (including foreign) for the nuclear power industry. In general, this will increase the country’s image in the international scene.

It is difficult to say whether Turkey will become the energy centre of the region, but the fact that the struggle for energy future has begun is real.

The decision to build Russian NPP in Turkey is not only economic (Russian NPPs are cheaper), but rather political. Independence from the European Union policy and U.S. pressure is also a driving force of the Turkey’s decision. RusCable.Ru

Magazine «CABLE-news»

«ELECTRIC POWER. Transmission and Distribution»