As a global debate rages over nuclear power's future as a safe and clean energy source, Russia is aggressively pursuing nuclear expansion at home and abroad.
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Published September 3, 2012
Russia’s state controlled nuclear corporation, Rosatom, is aggressively pursuing reactor deals in countries as varied as Vietnam, Turkey, and Belarus. This is happening as a Kremlin-backed nuclear expansion plan is already underway at home, with nine reactors currently under construction inside Russia. Some have raised alarm bells about the spread of new reactors worldwide: Climate change could lead to unexpected weather events that could threaten these new reactors, and countries embracing nuclear power for the first time might not have the policies in place to guarantee safety. Others are excited: The carbon footprint of nuclear energy is minimal, and solutions to a looming fossil fuel crisis are needed.
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Boasting of new technology that would prevent another Chernobyl, Russia wants to double its domestic nuclear energy output and triple the sales of its reactors worldwide.
Obninsk, once one of Stalin's secret cities devoted to atomic bomb development, has become a go-to hub for nuclear research and training. Demand for Russian nuclear technology is on the rise.
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Eve Conant is a writer based in Washington, D.C. A former staff correspondent for Newsweek, she has also written features for magazines including The New York Times Magazine, ...
