Russian Senator wants nuclear power plant built in Crimea
A Russian senator proposed on Tuesday that the Crimean
authorities should build a nuclear power plant to resolve the problem of power
shortages on the Black Sea peninsula.
"Atomic energy is absolutely reliable and is used
throughout the world," said Viktor Rogotsky, a member of the Committee for
Economic Policy at the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s
parliament, reports Tass.
"Crimea has two problems: electric power generation and
water. A nuclear power plant will help resolve these problems once and for
ever," the senator told a Committee meeting, which discussed Crimea’s
energy security. The Black Sea peninsula, which rejoined Russia in the spring
of 2014 after a referendum, continues to be fully dependent on electricity
supplies from Ukraine.
"Technologically, the [Crimean] energy system cannot
operate in an isolated mode for a long time and from the viewpoint of electric
power generation, the generating capacities are still insufficient for
providing Crimea with electricity in full," Crimean Deputy Fuel and Energy
Minister Yevgeny Dyomin told the Committee meeting.
Crimea plans to build two electric power plants with a total
capacity of 900 MW, and has also launched a project of an 850 MW electric power
bridge with Russia, he added.
During the Soviet period, a project was developed to build
two NPP units with a capacity of 1,000 MW each on the territory of Crimea. This
abandoned Crimean NPP construction site is located in the area of Kazantip
Cape. The power plant’s first unit was actually 90 percent built.
Considering the current state of the Crimean NPP site, it
cannot be restored, experts say.
Rosenergoatom Deputy General Director Pavel Ipatov earlier
said there was no need to build a nuclear power plant on the peninsula and
instead Crimea should develop thermal power.
Crimea used to be part of Russia from 1784 until 1954 when
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handed it over to the Ukrainian Soviet
Socialist Republic in a voluntaristic act. Crimea remained part of independent
Ukraine after the USSR collapsed in 1991.
A people’s referendum was held in Crimea on March 16, 2014,
in which most people voted for reuniting with Russia. On March 18, 2014,
President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Crimea’s integration into Russia.
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