Vladimir Grachev, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology, member of RAS

— Leningrad NPP-2 will be the basic site of the NPP-2006 project

On Feb 7 Sosnovy Bor (satellite-town of Leningrad NPP) hosted public hearings of the materials on the possible impacts of the LNPP-2 project on the environment of the region. Over 800 people attended the hearings: residents of Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad region and St. Petersburg, politicians, public figures, journalists, deputies, state and municipal officials, directors of companies and even US, Finnish, Swedish and Estonian diplomats. A number of experts have commended on the results of the hearings and the prospects of energy development in the North-Western region.

Presently, Leningrad NPP is the key supplier of the North-Western part of the country and, first of all, Leningrad region and St. Petersburg. The Federal Target Program “The Development of the Nuclear Power Complex of Russia in 2007–2010 and Till 2015” provides for modernization and prolonged service of the existing LNPP units. However, already today, we should start building new power units for replacing the existing and strengthening the new capacities.

LNPP-2 is supposed to become the basis of the NPP-2006 project, a project comprising all the best in Soviet and Russian nuclear power engineering. NPP-2006 is safe and economically expedient. The capacity of the plant’s WWER reactor will make up 1,160 MW, the service period will be 60 years. LNPP-2 will have four units.

The development of capacities at LNPP-2 will allow us to substantially reduce the technogenic impact on the region’s environment, particularly, to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in line with Russia’s commitments under Kyoto Protocol.