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

– The key event of the past year was the adoption of laws on reformation of the nuclear industry

The key event of the past year was the adoption of laws on the reformation of the nuclear industry. The process is not over yet but is well underway. At NIKIET it will be finished on Feb 4 2008.

This year Rosatom has taken significant steps for enlarging its international cooperation and promoting Russian technologies on the world markets. We have launched the most modern WWER NPP in China. Our institute did not take an immediate part in the project but we are proud of our colleagues. We have proved to the whole world that we can build nuclear power plants and do it excellently.

I am also proud of TVEL. That company is restoring our positions on the world nuclear fuel market. In 2007 it has won tenders for supplying fuel to Loviisa NPP in Finland and for prolonging contracts for supply of fuel to NPPs in Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Today, Russia is actively working to import uranium from South Africa, Australia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. For this purpose we are setting up joint ventures. I welcome the project to establish an international uranium enrichment center in Angarsk. It was the long-cherished dream of many countries wishing to have own nuclear power plants but having no access to enrichment technologies because of the nonproliferation regime. This center will give them such access.

I think that we should also create an international center for training personnel for nuclear power plants especially as we have Russian-design NPPs in Eastern Europe, Ukraine and now in China, India and Iran.

We should also pay more attention to innovative projects.

I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!