OREANDA-NEWS. August 25, 2010.  Head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko arrived in Kaliningrad and together with Governor of Kaliningrad region Georgy Boos visited the construction site of Baltic nuclear power plant.

“Just a little more than three years ago Georgy Valentinovich and I discussed the issue of the site selection. And today preparatory works for construction of the plant foundation area are already being held here. The next stage – in April, 2011 – is the first concrete pouring. After that we will pass to the main stage of BNPP construction”, Kiriyenko S. said.

Moreover, according to him, this is the first Russian plant which is being constructed from the green field; heretofore Rosatom only finished the projects which had been started in the Soviet time. In addition, it is the first time for Russian nuclear power industry to involve foreign investors in the plant construction. Upon that, the Government holds the control stake with not less than 51% of shares.

“It is perfectly clear that Kaliningrad region will have a growing energy emergency, which is proved by high rates of the region’s economy growth for the past four years. That is exactly why we have abandoned the project of a plant with a single power unit. Baltic NPP will consist of two power units with total capacity of 2,300 mW”, Sergey Kiriyenko said and added that by the end of the first half of 2016 the first power unit of the nuclear plant would have been constructed.

At present, 159 units of construction equipment are engaged at the construction site. 335 persons out of 396 involved in BNPP construction are the citizens of Kaliningrad region.