Russia’s government has cancelled implementation of the federal target programme (FTP) "Nuclear power technologies of the new generation for the period 2010-2015 and up to 2020" ahead of schedule, from 1 January 2019.
A resolution to that effect was published on the official Internet portal of legal information on 3 December. The FTP was approved by the government in February 2010. State nuclear corporation Rosatom has been instructed to submit a report on the implementation of the programme by 1 March.
Activities specified in the FTP, which were to take place in 2019-2020, will now be included as separate sub-programmes in another FTP – “Development of the nuclear power industry”. Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute are charged with ensuring the execution of government contracts concluded as part of the FTP.
According to an explanatory note to the resolution: “Rosatom in recent years has succeeded in exporting nuclear power plants using traditional technologies, but at present China is promoting the same technologies, with cheaper credit resources. Maintaining a competitive advantage requires maintaining leadership in the field of new technologies."
Taking into account the advanced implementation R&D, Rosatom can now integrate the FTP activities into the structure of the state programme for the development of the nuclear power industry, the note said.
From 2019, all efforts will be concentrated on the practical application of unique scientific results obtained during the FTP, the development of two-component nuclear energy – the construction of industrial energy complexes for the closure of the nuclear fuel cycle based on thermal and fast neutron reactors, and the development of the civil sector of nuclear science and technology.
In November, the government reduced the budget for nuclear energy. Under a resolution dated 3 November “On Amendments to the State Programme of the Russian Federation, Development of the Nuclear Power Industry Complex”, which came into force on 16 November, RUB4 billion ($60m) less will be received for development by the Russian nuclear power industry up to 2020. In particular, funding for the unclassified part of the programme has been reduced by cutting budget allocations in 2018. Total revenues from the state treasury for the implementation of projects has been reduced by from RUB901.1bn to RUB897.1bn.
