OREANDA-NEWS. July 3, 2007. Federation Council Committee on Natural Monopolies will consider problems of nuclear energy development

During its guest meeting in Sosnovy Bor on July 4–5 the Federation Council Committee on Natural monopolies will consider the legislative aspects of the development of the Russian nuclear energy complex.

Realizing the necessity to ensure legislative support for the ongoing nuclear energy reforms, the Committee has decided to set up an ad hoc sub-committee on nuclear energy and to hold its first guest meeting at Leningrad NPP, as one of the biggest nuclear power facilities in North-Western Russia.

The first vice chairman of the committee Valentin Mezhevich says: “Presently, we are finalizing the general scheme of power facilities that was taken as a basis by the Government in Apr. This document gives special attention to the development of the nuclear power industry of the European part of Russia. More specifically, it says that the power production capacity of European Russia should be redoubled. So, during our meeting we are going to discuss with nuclear power engineers, machine builders and scientists the key problems of the sector and to outline legislative basis for its stable development.”

Representatives of Rosatom, Rosenergoatom, Rostekhnadzor, local authorities will speak about the problems of NPP building and licensing. Special attention will be given to the federal nuclear energy development program. “”During the meeting we will try to understand what standards we should elaborate and what the state should do for the program to be finished in time,” Mezhevich said.

The chairman of the Sub-Committee on Nuclear Energy, Senator Grigory Naginsky says: “The federal target program is a turning point from stagnation to development. We have a whole number of problems concerning design, construction and machine building and their quick resolution is a guarantee of the program’s success and the energy security of our country.”

Naginsky pointed out that the meeting would consider the most important problems and ways to solve them.

The recommendations of the meeting will be submitted to the Government and will serve as a basis for the Committee’s further work.