In 2005, a nuclear energy supply in Russia counted 137 billion kWh, which is 16% of total output. The total installed capacity of nuclear reactors is 21,244MW.
The Russian energy strategy of 2003 sets policy priority to reduce the use of natural gas for electricity and to double the nuclear output by 2020. In 2006 the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) announced a target of nuclear providing 23% of electricity by 2020 and 25% by 2030.[1]
Russia has made plans to increase the number of reactors in operation from thirty one to fifty nine, financed with the help of loans from the European Union. Old reactors will be maintained and upgraded, including RBMK units similar to the reactor in Chernobyl. China and Russia have agreed on a cooperation in the construction of nuclear stations in October 2005.
According to the government order from 2001, all Russian civil reactors are operated by Rosenergoatom. On 19 January 2007 Russian Parliament adopted the law "On the peculiarities of the management and disposition of the property and shares of organizations using nuclear energy and on relevant changes to some legislative acts of the Russian Federation", which created Atomenergoprom - a holding company for all Russian civil nuclear industry, including Rosenergoatom, the nuclear fuel producer and supplier TVEL, the uranium trader Tekhsnabexport (Tenex) and the nuclear facilities constructor Atomstroyexport.
Through membership in the ITER project, Russia is participating in the design of fusion reactors.
The Russian government plans to allocate 127 billion rubles ($5.42 billion) to a federal program dedicated to the next generation of nuclear energy technology. About 1 trillion rubles ($42.7 billion) is to be allocated from the federal budget to nuclear power and industry development until 2015.1
Nuclear power plants in Russia (view) Active plants Closed plants
Many of the current reactors in operation are of the RBMK 1000 type, simlar to the one at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Some of these RBMK reactors were due to be shutdown, but instead, they were kept in operation and uprated, by about 5%. Also new safety systems were added after Chernobyl incident.
