Valery Menshikov, Co-Director of CEPR/ISEU Radiation and Nuclear Security Program

— In the last year Rosatom’s activities have become more transparent

The co-director of the Radiation and Nuclear Security Program of the Center for Ecological Programs of Russia (CEPR) and the International Social-Ecological Union (ISEU) Valery Menshikov believes that Russia’s nuclear power sector must develop new security technologies.

«The new head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko has proved to be more open to the public and the mass media. Besides, much preparatory work has been done towards effective transition to the system of corporization.»

As you may know, in 2006 Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the nuclear power sector as one of the priorities of economic development. Last year the Russian Government adopted a federal development program and a bill on reforms in the nuclear power sector. This step was due to the growing need to ensure security and to attract investments in the sphere. «The world economy is facing an energy crisis and so the state, the society and the scientific community are beginning to realize the need to have technologically and potentially developed nuclear power sector,» says Menshinkov.

He says that in developing the sphere the state should give priority to the development of safe technologies. «My deep conviction is that the present technologies and uranium reserves will suffice us for just 30 years and then we will have to switch to other scientific-technical schemes. The Federation 4 project is one such example. We already have some other plans in this direction and we should study them most thoroughly.»

Menshikov believes that international cooperation is important but, at the same time, it is necessary to preserve fierce competition in the sphere. It is also necessary to build new NPPs and to actively involve Russian scientists in nuclear projects.

On the whole, 2007 will be the year of implementation of all the initiatives of 2006. «I would like the reforms to be carried out in the framework of civilized and transparent policy — the policy started by the new head of Rosatom. In whatever new steps we  undertake we should keep in mind the problem of security,» says Menshikov.