PRESS: Rosatom may delay nuclear power units to hold power prices

MOSCOW, Aug 29 (PRIME) -- The Russian Energy Ministry has suggested that Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of state nuclear power corporation Rosatom, delay launches of several nuclear power units to prevent prices for power from growing above inflation, Kommersant business daily reported on Thursday.

Launches of new blocks traditionally increases the price for power on the market.

The ministry wants to delay launches of the first unit of the Kursk AES-2 from 2025, the third unit of the Leningrad AES-2 nuclear power plants, and of a fast-neutron reactor of the Beloyarsk AES scheduled for 2032, the business daily reported quoting minutes of a ministry’s meeting.

Rosatom thinks it can delay the Beloyarsk AES unit’s launch till after 2035, as well as the third and fourth units of the Leningrad AES-2, but the Kursk AES-2 is a testing ground for new reactor WWER-TOI designed to improve competitiveness of Russian nuclear power reactors on foreign markets and Rosatom wants to ensure its exports, a source told Kommersant.

Kommersant also said that Rosatom had already delayed the launch of the second unit of the Leningrad AES-2 by one year, which should reduce the price for power in 2020 by 2% and made consumers save a total of 50.4 billion rubles.

A spokesperson for Rosnergoatom told Kommersant that the government discussed the delay of the Kursk AES-2 unit. No decisions were made regarding the third and fourth units of the Leningrad AES-2. The Energy Ministry did not provide a comment.

End