OREANDA-NEWS. On Feb 5 Public Council for Safe Use of Nuclear Energy of Irkutsk region is conducting public hearings of project to establish International Uranium Enrichment Center at AECC

The council was set up in Dec 2007 on the initiative of the regional and municipal authorities and NGOs of Irkutsk region. Representatives of Rosatom, members of the Public Council, officials, scientists and residents of nearby cities are expected to take part in the hearings.

In his welcoming address to the participants in the hearings, the member of the Federation Council, the first vice chairman of the FC Committee on Natural Monopolies Valentin Mezhevich points out that the Public Council plays an important role in the development of safe nuclear power engineering in Irkutsk region.

He says: “Today our industry has grandiose plans. The establishment of the international uranium enrichment center on the basis of Angarsk Electrolytic Chemical Combine is one of the stages of the program to develop safe nuclear power engineering in the region. This is a complex task requiring well-balanced and effective decisions.

The Public Council serves as a bridge between the authorities and the public of Irkutsk region and provides real opportunities for objectively assessing the social-ecological and technological tendencies of development of nuclear power engineering in the region. The active participation of highly professional expert in our work is the first step to enhance the role of the public in the process of adoption of strategic decisions for development of Irkutsk region.

The Public Council does hard but good job: it organizes a constructive and professional dialogue between concerned parties, provides the public with quick and objective information about the IUEC project, prevents conflicts, rumors and groundless fears among the population, points to urgent and crucial problems of Angarsk and Irkutsk region.”