A round table meeting dedicated to presentation and discussion of the Baltic NPP project EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) materials was held in Sovetsk on August 19. Representatives of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, JSC Atomenergoprom, JSC Energoatom Concern, JSC Atomenergoproekt St. Petersburg, administration of Sovetsk residential location (the Kaliningrad region), Sovetsk legislative assembly’s deputies, public members and citizens of the town took part in the round-table meeting.

The key-note address was delivered by Deputy General Director of JSC Energoatom Concern Sergey Boyarkin. He noted that the Baltic NPP is a commercial project. This project is currently being used to build Leningrad NPP-2. The project itself is an evolutionary development of the project implemented by the Russian atomists in China (Tianwan NPP). JSC St. Petersburg Atomenergoproekt is the general designer. The future plant will consist of two units with the output at least 1170MW each. The annual output is 17.4 kWh, number of employees – 1,100.

Employees number during construction peak period – up to 8,000. The first unit will be launched in 2016, the second unit – in 2018.

Research works are completed at the moment. The first stage of design consideration is over. Public consultations on EIA (Environment Impact Assessment) have been held The first stage of project works and submitting documents to Rostekhnadzor for further acquisition of license to build the NPP are planned for September. The license is planned to be acquired by December.

The license is planned to be filed this October and acquired in July 2010.

As for the employees number at the site, about 1,500 builders are anticipated to be working by the end of 2010 and 8,000 people during the peak period.

In the course of the discussion a lot of questions were dedicated to issues of the locals’ health care and cancer morbidity due to the NPP launch. It was observed that according to the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, cancer morbidity in the NPP area is below the average level in the region. The reason for this is a higher level of medical treatment of employees and local citizens of the neighboring settlements.

As for the training specialists for the NPP, it was stressed that Energoatom Concern is committed to employ the local population of the region to work at the plant. In accordance with this a personnel training system will be set up in the region. Also a specialist educational establishment to train operational personnel is under discussion.

As was stated by the Deputy Head of the Kaliningrad Region Government, Yury Shalimov, the region development program has been adopted in the region. Within the framework of the program the government provided auxiliary programs of tourism and recreation zones development in the region. The Khrabrovo airport and the Primorskoe Koltso highway are currently being modernized, infrastructure facilities are being constructed in Pionersky town and Yantarny. But the administration acknowledges that a fair share of the projects is being implemented in the western part of the region and in the coastal area. Thus development of the eastern part of the region remains the challenge on the agenda. The Baltic NPP project (at the construction phase) will be a serious jump-start of this part of the region not only where building industry development is concerned, but also for education system, personnel training and service industry.

Answering the question: What are the benefits of the NPP neighboring districts? Yury Shalimov noted that a good many of Russian region are competing to build an NPP on their territory. The reason is a tax base, development of infrastructure, social sphere, and a big number of working positions.