Moscow (Platts)--14Mar2011/839 am EDT/1239 GMT
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Monday there are no plans to change the country's nuclear power program after the devastation caused by the earthquake in Japan last week has led to doubts about the safety of nuclear power. "We won't change our plans. We will, of course, draw conclusions from what is currently happening in Japan," Putin said in the Siberian city of Tomsk, according to comments posted on a government website. Putin said that Russian experts believe that the risk that a meltdown will destroy any nuclear reactors in Japan is low. And he added, "According to the information that we have, we do not see a global threat." Request a free trial of: Nucleonics WeekPlatts Nucleonics Week is the leading source of global news for the commercial nuclear power business. The publication focuses on the fundamental news that matters to industry professionals. Veteran editors and correspondents know what's important, and put it in context for you. Russia plans to add 43.4 GW in generating capacity from nuclear plants by 2030, according to a general development plan approved by the government in June 2010. Nuclear power currently provides around 16% of Russia's electricity, with an overall installed capacity of 24.2 GW, according to Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom. Russia also exports its nuclear technology, with deals at various stages of development to build nuclear power plants in Iran, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China and Turkey. The earthquake in Japan Friday led to the shutdown of at least 11 nuclear units and two explosions at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, as well as fears of full meltdowns at two power plants. --Jake Rudnitsky, jake_rudnitsky@platts.com
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Monday there are no plans to change the country's nuclear power program after the devastation caused by the earthquake in Japan last week has led to doubts about the safety of nuclear power. "We won't change our plans. We will, of course, draw conclusions from what is currently happening in Japan," Putin said in the Siberian city of Tomsk, according to comments posted on a government website. Putin said that Russian experts believe that the risk that a meltdown will destroy any nuclear reactors in Japan is low. And he added, "According to the information that we have, we do not see a global threat."
Platts Nucleonics Week is the leading source of global news for the commercial nuclear power business. The publication focuses on the fundamental news that matters to industry professionals. Veteran editors and correspondents know what's important, and put it in context for you.