Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Dreams and reality of the Russian reactor export
| Auteur | Vladimir Slivyak |
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2-34-6-50-02.pdf |
| Datum | maart 2019 |
| Classificatie | 2.34.6.50/02 (RUSLAND - EXPORT / ROSATOM) |
| Voorkant | 
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Uit de publicatie:
Ecodefense Dreams and reality of the Russian reactor export Vladimir Slivyak Moscow, March 2019 Foreword Rosatom loves to boast of its enormous portfolio of foreign orders. The state corporation is one of the largest recipients of subsidies from the Russian state budget and it needs to be constantly trying to prove that – as the memorable line from the old TV ads goes – it is “not a freeloader, but a partner,”that it does not just spend taxpayer money, but earns its keep as well. The nuclear industry’s executives are always stressing the importance of the revenue that flows into Russia from its export contracts. On a closer look, however, the significance of that “foreign order portfolio” turns out to be greatly inflated, and rather than enjoying the much-touted hard currency proceeds from the construction of nuclear power plants abroad, Russia, instead, itself pays for many projects. Including with subsidies from the National Wealth Fund (which, mind you, is designed to finance the country’s beleaguered pension system) or by extending other countries ultracheap credits at interest rates our own citizens and businesses could only dream of. Ecodefense carried out a brilliant analysis of how things truly stand with Rosatom’s foreign contracts and shows in all its obviousness the bubble that has emerged in this sphere: All is not so rosy as the nuclear bosses tell us, and it is the Russian citizens who for the most part are left to foot the bill for this expansion. One hopes this report will help push forward a broad national debate on the merits of the Russian public’s continued sponsorship of a risky nuclear expansion whose effectiveness and benefits for the country are very much in question. Vladimir Milov former Deputy Energy Minister of Russia