OREANDA-NEWS. August 27, 2007. Representatives of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK) met at LNPP. LNPP was represented by the acting head of the Foreign Relations Department Alexander Rakhuba, STUK — by the head of the Department for Eastern Europe Heikki Reponen, reported the press-centre of Leningrad NPP.  

Rakhuba said that during the conference the sides summed up the results of their joint activities in Jan-June 2007 and outlined their work in the future. “We have discussed what we have done under our cooperation agreement in 2007 and have seen that we are fully meeting the schedule.”

“We have also discussed projects for 2008 to be signed at the end of this year,” Rakhuba said.

Reponen said: “We have met with our colleagues from Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant and have discussed fields of further cooperation. Nuclear safety continues to be our priority.”

Reponen said that even though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland has decided to reduce financing for projects of cooperation with neighboring regions, nuclear safety will receive increased financing. So, in this sphere LNPP and STUK could develop their fruitful cooperation.
Asked if STUK is going to attend the Sept 19–21 2007 complex emergency training at Leningrad NPP, Reponen said that they have taken part in several emergency exercises in Russia so far and regularly invite their Russian colleagues to similar events in Finland. “We need to meet more often in order to develop our cooperation,” Reponen said.

The next conference will take place in Finland in Dec 2007.

Note:
Since Apr 1 2002 Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has been the branch of Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian State Concern for Production of Electric and Thermal Power at Nuclear Power Plants” (Rosenergoatom Concern).

Leningrad NPP enjoys a large geography of international contacts: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the UK, Germany, Canada. The plant has received journalists and NGO representatives from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, France, SAR, Tunisia, China, Korea, Taiwan, Belgium, Argentina and Italy; consuls general of Japan, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands; a delegation of the Consulate General of the United States; energy ministers of Denmark and Canada; senators from France and the US; a delegation of the European Parliament; the IAEA Director General.

Leningrad NPP was the first Rosenergoatom NPP to introduce the principle of co-financing of joint projects with Finland and Sweden, with the plant’s share therein ranging from 20% to 50%.
In 1996 Leningrad NPP and Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authorities of Finland (STUK) signed an open-end agreement for cooperation in the following directions:

operational safety;
fire safety;
automated environment monitoring;
physical protection.

In 2000 the sides added the following directions:
dosimetric equipment for personnel;
interim storage of radioactive waste, its recording and control;
independent safety inspection;
safety analysis.