Sergey Leus, first deputy head of Industry and Transport Department of Government of Murmansk region

– We have almost ideal scheme

Today, our power plants meet all the needs of our region. We have an almost ideal scheme with nuclear power plants meeting the basic demand and water power plants regulating energy supply depending on its consumption at a specific period.

Many people say that our region has 400MW of free, never used capacity. It is not right: this is a reserve capacity and part of it is used at periods of peak demand. As you may know, power plants are designed with due regard for possible peak demands. Besides, presently, the Federal Network Company is building the second power transmission line from Murmansk to Karelia and Leningrad region. The line is supposed to transmit the excess of energy we may have. But you can hardly call it an excess. Shortly we are planning to use 300MW for serving a number of big projects, particularly, four big deposits. Shtokman deposit will also need energy. Even though the local gas liquefying plant uses its own turbine generators, it will still need energy for its compressors. We also are planning to build two big coal and oil terminals on the western shore. So, we need energy ourselves.

We are also considering the possibility of exporting electricity abroad. I think this is quite possible especially when we build a relevant power transmission line.

The Kola NPP-2 project is also a good possibility. The service lives of two reactors of the existing Kola NPP have already been extended for 15. So, we have little time. If they stop, at least, one of their reactors ahead of time, we will face an energy crisis. I believe that we must start building substituting plants 8–10 years before the shutdown of existing ones.

Kola NPP has implemented so many measures to enhance its safety that, today, it is much safer than it was when first launched. That’s why the people living here approve of the plans to build Kola NPP-2 and understand that we yet have no alternative to a nuclear power plant.