Russia Grapples With an Atomic Dilemma

[NVMojo]

For the last decade, the atom has been Russia's least-lauded, most-hush-hush energy export.

But now, just as a global renaissance in atomic power offers the chance of billions of dollars' worth of contracts, the country's nuclear industry finds itself stuck with a dilemma. Without private funding, ambitious expansion plans may never be realized, but allowing in the private sector would open up the nation's most secretive industry to unprecedented scrutiny.

President Vladimir Putin last week lent extra impetus to the drive to develop the industry, urging in his state-of-the-nation address that work on next-generation reactors be given high priority.

Key to the industry's efforts to attract investment are officials such as Anna Belova, a corporate restructuring guru who is one of a team of reformers brought in by former Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko, the new head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency.

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http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/05/16/002.html