11 Jun (NucNet): Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom is aiming to increase its order book from 73 billion US dollars (USD) (53 billion euros) in 2013 to USD 98 billion in 2014, with new markets opening up in plant maintenance and the development of nuclear medicine services.
In an interview published on the corporation’s website, Kirill Komarov, deputy chief executive officer and head of corporate development and international business unit, said Rosatom has “specific goals” for new business including “everything concerning a nuclear plant’s life cycle” and “the use of radiation technologies in its widest sense”, not only equipment supply, but the idea of selling medical services based on Rosatom’s equipment and technologies.
Regarding construction of new nuclear power units, Mr Komarov said all related contracts to an intergovernmental agreement signed earlier this year with Hungary for the construction of two new units at the Paks nuclear station would be completed by the end of the year.
He said he hoped the contracts will be integrated contracts offering the client design and construction of the units, fuel delivery for several decades, and maintenance and operating service.
Contracts with Vietnam and Bangladesh for the construction of first-build reactors are at “quite an advanced stage”, Mr Komarov said. There are also plans for more Russian-built reactors in Iran.
Rosatom has signed a contract to supply the Hanhikivi-1 nuclear reactor for Finland’s Fennovoima, and recently signed a cooperation agreement with the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, which “might open the way to the UK market”.
In Russia, three nuclear units are expected to begin commercial operation in 2014.
Rostov-3, a VVER-1000 pressurised water reactor, is scheduled for first criticality in October and first power in December.
At Novovoronezh Phase II unit 1 (Novovoronezh 2-1), criticality is scheduled for December. The unit is the first of the new VVER-1200 design, which Mr Komarov said Russia wants to deploy in large numbers. Three more VVER-1200s are under construction and another 14 planned before 2030.
Also this year, the long-running project to construct Beloyarsk-4, a BN-800 fast reactor of 789-megawatts, is due for completion. Fuel is already being loaded and it could achieve criticality in December.
Asked about the situation in Ukraine, Mr Komarov said Rosatom will fulfil its contractual obligations there, “no matter what the situation is”. The company will continue supplying nuclear fuel to Ukraine, which has 15 commercial nuclear reactor units built using Soviet technology. Rosatom will also continue removing spent nuclear fuel from Ukrainian territory.
