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Russian Machines Builds Atomic Plant
After his Rusal project in the atomic energy industry foundered, Oleg Deripaska has found a way into it with Russian Machines company, a maker of energy generation equipment and part of his Basic Element group. Russian Machines will create a joint venture with Rosatom to engineer and build atomic plants of the new, fourth, generation, known as lead-bismuth fast reactors. Russian Machines will invest $1 billion in it.
The technology of the lead-bismuth fast reactor has been known since the 1970s. It is the reactor used in submarines. Russian atomic energy plants currently use third generation water-cooled reactors. Rosatom has “intellectual property ownership rights” to generation four technology, which it may use as its contribution to the joint venture’s capital. The size of each party’s share is still being discussed.
If the joint venture is formed, it will begin its first project in Obninsk. Russian Machines head Vladimir Petrochenko said that Obninsk project will require $400-500 million in investment and take seven years to build. The plant will have a capacity of about 100 MW, with the possibility of increasing it to 1000 MW. “By our preliminary estimates, plants of the lead-bismuth fast reactors are more effective, safer, more mobile, and require less metal and land for their construction, but all of that has to be confirmed through experiment,” Petrochenko explained. Russian Machines hopes the reactor will be certified after the construction of the experimental Obninsk plant.
Petrochenko says the chances of the project being realized are 50/50. If the project is implemented and is successful, the joint venture could begin commercial design and construction of the new plants.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of July 10, 2008
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