Boris Gabarayev, Director General of Research and Development Institute of Power Energy

— In technical parameters we are not behind our rivals

On Jan 9 2007 the capacity of the 1st unit of Tianwan NPP was raised to 99.6% with the electric load being increased to 1,064 MW (i.e. the energy system of China is receiving 1.064mln KWh).

I would like to congratulate my Russian colleagues on their success at Tianwan. Now that the construction of Bushehr NPP in Iran is being delayed – not through our fault – the Jan 9 event was very important.

In technical parameters we are not and will not be behind our rivals. I am sure that our constructors, designers and installers are not worse than their foreign counterparts. The only problem is financing: sometimes we are faced with the problem of counter crediting – he who builds pays. If Russia offers China more acceptable conditions than the US or France will, we may hope for further orders in that country.

We are a kind of rivals – because we are not building those reactors – and, as a rival, I admit that our Russian colleagues are building very good and highly competitive reactors.

You all know that in the last years nobody has asked us to build reactors. Due to the projects in Tianwan and Kudankulam (India), we have given our factories new jobs, i.e. we could have lost our production before we started to revive our industry. So, those projects have saved it and their importance is obvious.

 
I would like to point out that the prospects of our projects abroad depend on our ability to obtain financing, while in technical aspect we have no problems.