To complement a recent post by Pavel Podvig on the “massive subsidy to Rosatom”:http://russianforces.org/nuclear/2008/07/massive_subsidy_to_rosatom.shtml, here is a quick take on Russia’s nuclear energy development plans (or dreams, whatever) from the Russian Ministry for Economic Development’s draft Concept-2020.
Russia will become a *global player* in the nuclear sector if by 2012–2015 it enhances the total capacity of its nuclear power plants to 28–35 GW and by *2020 – to 50–53 GW*, gradually transits to a new technological platform based on *fast-breeder reactors and closed fuel cycle*, starts *producing small- and medium-capacity reactors* for its remote areas and the world’s developing economies and brings its *nuclear equipment and technologies export to the level of $8bln-14bln by 2020* (calculated in the prices of 2006).
[snip]
One more priority is to *actively integrate Russia’s nuclear power industry into the world economy (in both fuel and equipment production)* by enhancing the competitiveness of Russian NPPs projects, intensifying uranium prospecting work and developing cooperation with foreign partners in fuel production.
“More here”:http://www.rosatom.com/en/news/11294_06.08.2008. The Concept also stresses the importance of the *Angarsk International Uranium Enrichment Center*, repeating the mantra that “a network of such centers would ensure nondiscriminatory access for non-nuclear states to low-enriched fuel for nuclear power plants with all nonproliferation requirements observed.” The full text of the draft Concept-2020 is “available in Russian”:http://www.economy.gov.ru/wps/wcm/connect/economylib/mert/resources/3879cd804ab8615ab426fc4234375027/kdr2020_sent.doc.
And here is another report in Russian, this one on the “ecological safety”:http://www.aecc.ru/docs/ereport2007.pdf at the “Angarsk Electrolytic Chemical Combine”:http://www.nti.org/db/nisprofs/russia/fissmat/enrichme/angarsk.htm that I’ve been meaning to link to for some time. Nothing new in it, but there is a useful list of legislation pertaining to the Combine’s impact on the environment. (Call the report a “Bellona-special”:http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2008/angarsk_sham, if you will.)