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Kiriyenko: Rosatom’s victory in Finnish n-plant tender — business solution

Rosatom director-general Sergei Kiriyenko gave an exclusive interview to Itar-Tass

MOSCOW, December 27. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom’s winning a tender to build Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant in Pyhajoki, northern Finland, is a business solution, but not a political agreement, Rosatom director-general Sergei Kiriyenko said in an interview with Itar-Tass on Friday.

“Of course, Finland is politically more oriented to the European Union and the United States,” he said. “This means that the political choice is certainly not in favor of Russia. Initially, we even have not been invited to participate in the tender. But we felt rather calm towards this. Thus, our victory has become a big surprise this time.”

Kiriyenko emphasized that the tender “is not an agreement reached at the level of governments,” this is a decision dictated by business logic.

“Private businesses - an association of private industrial companies and banks that united in a certain pool and ordered the plant - invest their money,” he said. “For instance, for me it is very important when decisions are made with business logic.”

“Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant is of great interest for us, as the plant will be constructed under 3+ new generation project,” Kiriyenko said. “The construction of Russia’s nuclear power plant with post-Fukushima security systems in an EU member-state is a very important for us decision.”

On December 21, Finland’s nuclear power company Fennovoima and Russia’s Rusatom Overseas, Rosatom’s subsidiary, signed a contract to build Hanhikivi 1. The plant will be built with Russian technologies in northern Finland.

The construction will begin no earlier than in 2015 and the plant will start generating electric power in 2024. The project’s cost had not been made public officially. But according to the Finnish media, the project is estimated at €6.5 billion. Of them €1.6 billion will be invested by Fennovoima and the rest — by Rosatom.

Rosatom’s TVEL fuel company has already concluded a contract worth over €450 million to supply nuclear fuel to Finland’s yet-to-be nuclear power plant.

Moreover, a contract on fuel supplies for the first fueling of Hanhikivi 1 and the plant’s operation for ten years with possible extension was signed.