Translated material
“And there are two of them near Nice!”
They want to build a nuclear power plant in the Kaliningrad region
The westernmost region of Russia is excited - the local press is actively discussing the idea of building a nuclear power plant in the region. Before the New Year, the local government prepared a long-term strategy for the socio-economic development of the region. The document states that by 2011, construction of the North-Western Nuclear Power Plant may begin in the Kaliningrad region. And recently, Alexander Apkaneev, deputy head of the Rosenergoatom concern, added fuel to the fire when he stated that “the Kaliningrad region is considered as a territory for the possible development of the nuclear industry, in particular the construction of nuclear power plants.”Local authorities have been thinking about nuclear power plants for a long time. For the Kaliningrad region, the problem of energy security is extremely important. The region, isolated from the main territory of Russia, does not yet have its own serious generation capable of meeting the needs of the local economy. This makes it possible, for example, for the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko from time to time to speculate on the Kaliningrad issue, declaring that “Kaliningrad hangs on Belarus.”
The region really depends on the mood at the top of the neighboring country, with which Russia’s relations have sharply deteriorated in recent months: gas transit to the Kaliningrad region goes through the territory of Belarus. And if the valve is turned off there, the region’s own reserves will not last long. And without constant supplies of blue fuel, CHPP-2, the main producer of electricity in the region, will stop working. While only one power unit with a capacity of 450 kW is operating there , in a couple of years it is planned to commission another one of the same capacity. However, the volumes of gas that are currently supplied to the Kaliningrad region will not be enough for the second power unit. Therefore, the issue of the efficiency of the two power units of CHPP-2 still remains controversial.
The problem could be solved by a branch from the North European Gas Pipeline - its “thread” will run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea near the Kaliningrad region. And in the summer of 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin, while in Kaliningrad, said that a branch was necessary. However, so far no practical steps have been taken in this direction - the management of Gazprom thereby makes it clear that it does not intend to engage in charity. Things got to the point that the problem of gas supply to the westernmost Russian region was discussed in January 2007 at a meeting of the Russian government. Then Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov instructed the Ministry of Industry and Energy to present a solution to the Kaliningrad gas issue by April.
In short, the energy supply of the Kaliningrad region has long been a real tangle of conflicting interests. Against this background, local authorities view the construction of a nuclear power plant as salvation.
“We are very much looking forward to increased volumes of gas coming to the region, which is so necessary for our industry. However, if for some reason the prices for this type of fuel rise, then gas will become golden for us. Therefore, the idea of building a nuclear power plant in the region cannot be ruled out in a strategic sense. I don't think there is any danger here. I was very surprised at one time when, very close to Nice, on the famous Cote d’Azur of France, I saw two nuclear power plants at once,” Regional Minister of Industry and Tourism Nikolai Vlasenko told Vremya Novostei. In his opinion, if it comes to the construction of a nuclear power plant, the station will be of small capacity. “Perhaps we can then export excess energy to the West. But for now we have different energy standards with Europe, only those with Lithuania are the same. But they too can change if the neighbors form a unified Baltic energy system,” says the minister.
In Lithuania, for example, the nuclear problem is no less acute than in the Kaliningrad region. By 2009, the Ignalina NPP must be shut down at the request of the European Union. “We will essentially have an energy failure. However, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have already agreed to build a new one - it will be located on our territory. But this will not happen soon,” Viktoras Baublis, Consul General of Lithuania in Kaliningrad, told Vremya Novostey. He emphasizes that his country has a positive attitude towards the idea of building a nuclear power plant in the Kaliningrad region. “The more energy sources there are, the sooner the region will satisfy its needs. And if so, there will be a surplus that can be sold. And, I believe, at an affordable price,” says the diplomat.
In principle, the Consul General repeats word for word the opinion of Governor Georgy Boos, who said last week that the issue of building a nuclear power plant in the region is indeed on the agenda, but has not yet been documented. According to the governor, peaceful nuclear energy could be a solution for the Kaliningrad region, but sudden movements should not be made, especially in the matter of compliance with environmental safety requirements. Speaking about the disposal of spent nuclear raw materials, Mr. Boos explained to local media that no one is going to store it in the Kaliningrad region: “There are no such places (in the region. - Ed. ). But the search for the most optimal solution is underway; it is too early to draw conclusions.”
According to Felix Alekseev, a well-known environmentalist in the region, deputy chairman of the regional Duma Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, the environmental damage from a normally operating nuclear power plant is much less than from outdated coal ones. “If, after all, the issue of constructing a nuclear power plant takes concrete shape, then ecologists, including myself, will scrupulously evaluate all aspects related to preserving the environment and eliminating even minimal risks,” he emphasizes. Representatives of public environmental organizations have already begun to “assess the aspects.” Activists of the Ecodefense! group held a theatrical protest against the construction of a nuclear power plant in front of the regional government. A huge model of a nuclear power plant was walking in front of the government building, with orange smoke pouring out of its chimney. Social activists are categorically against the nuclear power plant; they are confident that the nuclear power plant will bring with it not only cheap energy, but also death to the unique local nature.
The Kaliningrad region recently received the status of a special tourist and recreational zone (and at the same time a special gambling zone) - will tourists and roulette lovers want to go there, knowing that a nuclear power plant is being built in the region? However, if the nuclear power plant is installed near the residence of the President of the Russian Federation (as is known, this residence should appear near the resort town of Pionersky by the end of 2008), the environmental safety of the facility can, in principle, be guaranteed. However, will the head of state want to visit such a residence...