Gazeta: “Vladimir Putin pays an energetic visit to Volgodonskaya nuclear plant”
The prime minister launches a new reactor built in record time.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin officially launched the second unit of the Volgodonskaya nuclear power plant in Volgodonsk, Rostov Region, on Thursday. True, he didn't get to press the start button. The plant's engineer did it for him as the theme of safety hung in the air for the duration of the visit. Although the prime minister arrived by helicopter, he couldn't help visiting a gateway where visitors are greeted by a chapel with the words "Our Lady, save us" inscribed on its facade. Everyone who worked at the plant that day crowded the windows to watch the prime minister's chopper land. Putin's visit had been long awaited: the second unit was launched de facto late last year, but only now has the prime minister come to press the proverbial red button. There is no discrepancy involved, the plant workers explained to our correspondent. In December the unitstarted to operate in trial mode, and now Putin will officially connect it to the country's power grid.
On the way to the unit control panel, the prime minister toured the other premises, where he was swiftly convinced of the seriousness with which the management takes its workers' safety. After the previously mentioned prayer to the Virgin Mary, guests were confronted with a huge green monitor bearing the switched-off inscription: "Today is labour safety day," All the hallways were covered in notices on first aid techniques. Meanwhile, there was another display monitor at the control centre – a sealed off room whose walls were covered in toggle switches, lamps, and buttons. The huge monitor indicated 45 megawatts, the plant's current power capacity. The chief of the work shift, Vadim Sotnikov, reported on the state of the reactor to Mr Putin, saying that radiation and energy safety were ensured and asking permission to increase power. Mr Putin gave the command: "Go ahead," and the engineer-on-duty pressed a small red button. The figures on the monitor flickered and rose.
One could imagine the invisible molecules inside the reactor spinning and splitting, and eventually the monitor showed that Unit 2 had reached its working capacity of 300 megawatts, although the reactor's design capacity is up to 1000.
After the block reached capacity, Putin chaired a meeting on building nuclear plants through Russian technology both in and outside Russia, first presenting government decorations to the builders of the second reactor. Opening the meeting, Mr Putin emphasised that Russia had ambitious plans in the nuclear sphere. Rosatom is planning to build as many nuclear plants as are already in existence. The Soviet Union had managed to build 30 of them, and another 26 are now slated for construction.
However, the prime minister is still not very pleased with the share of nuclear power in the country's energy balance. He said the share should be raised from the current 16% to 25% and even 30%. Rosatom's share in world nuclear power construction market is also 16%. "We can well control at least 25% of the world market of building and operating nuclear power plants... We should not get stuck at 16%, either in terms of the energy balance inside the country or in terms of our share of the world markets," Mr Putin said.
When the subject of Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran cropped up, Putin said that station should be launched in the next few months. "The first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be launched in the summer," the prime minister clarified.
Nuclear scientists race against the clock
Mr Putin conducted the meeting in the conference call format that he has favoured of late. Representatives of all major nuclear plants now under construction in Russia and abroad called into the Volgodonskaya power plant where they spoke with the prime minister. Putin received the representatives one by one. First the managers of power plants being built in Russia reported cheerfully that things are going well and gave an account of financing construction. Due to problems with the phone line, Mr Putin heard only part of the report given by the manager of the Kalinin Power Plant, but after the line went dead, communication resumed with the words "we spent 21 billion."
Towards the end of the phone conference, Russian engineers who are currently building the Kudamkulam nuclear plant in India spoke with Putin, but at that point the transmission to journalists was cut off altogether. After the meeting, Rosatom head Sergey Kiriyenko said that the prime minister had decided to visit Volgodonsk himself because the new reactor was the first to be launched under the programme of nuclear energy development Putin had approved as president in 2006.
Mr Kiriyenko said that in December, when the reactor was switched on for a trial run, he saw tears in the eyes of the builders because when construction began in 2007, nobody believed that it could be completed on schedule.
Mr Kiriyenko said that Rosatom could well achieve a similar rate of construction when building the third and fourth reactors at the Volgodonskaya plant. For the moment, the deadlines have been set at 2014 and 2017 respectively, but Mr Kiriyenko promised that the third unit would be completed a year ahead of schedule and the fourth two years ahead of schedule.
Lilia Novikova
