Dmitry Tsurikov, Director of Institute for the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy of the Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute

— The restructuring of the nuclear power sector is aimed at raising our competitiveness abroad

I hope that the adoption of the law on the reformation of the nuclear power sector will have a positive effect on its development. As a scientist, I am concerned for the future of the nuclear science. The nuclear power sector has always had a strong scientific basis – in fact, it was the very root of the nuclear power project in Russia.

I believe that the year 2006 was crucial for the sector. In 2006 the sector began to revive and the attitude towards it changed: now it is regarded as an essential element of not only Russia’s energy sector but also its security. And the relevant federal target programs serve exactly this purpose.

The NPP-2006 project, i.e. the formation of a unified bloc, will allow us to implement the formulated tasks and this will enlarge Russia’s chances on the international market.

One of the key elements of the energy sector development is safety, this including nonproliferation of nuclear technologies and materials and international control. The project to establish a uranium enrichment center on the basis of Angarsk Electrolytic Chemical Combine (Irkustsk region) is just the beginning of our ideology for creating international centers providing nuclear fuel production services. It is known that the nuclear power sector needs substantial investments and well-organized international cooperation will help to use these investments effectively.

For the first time in many years, we have launched a new nuclear icebreaker – it was a unique event.

We hope that all the positive plans we made in 2006 will be fulfilled this year.

The formation of the holding is an economic breakthrough. Only by using new management mechanisms will we be able to implement the program.

I think that the restructuring of the sector is aimed at raising our competitiveness abroad.