Leonid Bolshov, Director of IBRAE, doctor of physical-mathematical sciences, professor

– The formation of the international nuclear center in Angarsk will give a strong impulse to the development of the region

It is beyond good sense to discuss the safety or non-safety of the uranium enrichment process. When people start to seriously discuss if it is dangerous or not dangerous to enrich uranium, it means that they mean something quite different.

The formation of the international nuclear center will give a strong impulse to the development of the region. When an enterprise working at only 10% of its capacity begins to work at 50%-70%, it is an absolutely different story. Instead of spending money on maintaining its equipment, it begins to bring profit and, consequently, to pay taxes to the region and the federal center.

This seemingly local project has a big international importance. The President’s initiative for establishing international fuel enrichment and production centers is a kind of road towards large-scale power engineering when we will be able to switch from 235th uranium to 268th one. Our progress towards «fast reactors» and fuel centers is a way towards long-term promising nuclear power engineering, while the center in Angarsk is the first but very substantial step in this direction.