Russian official proposes building nuclear power plant in Crimea

A Russian senator proposed on Tuesday that the Crimean authorities should build a nuclear power plant to resolve the problem of power shortages on the Black Sea peninsula.
"Atomic energy is absolutely reliable and is used throughout the world," said Viktor Rogotsky, a member of the Committee for Economic Policy at the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament.
"Crimea has two problems: electric power generation and water. A nuclear power plant will help resolve these problems once and for ever," the senator told a Committee meeting, which discussed Crimea’s energy security. The Black Sea peninsula, which rejoined Russia in the spring of 2014 after a referendum, continues to be fully dependent on electricity supplies from Ukraine.
"Technologically, the [Crimean] energy system cannot operate in an isolated mode for a long time and from the viewpoint of electric power generation, the generating capacities are still insufficient for providing Crimea with electricity in full," Crimean Deputy Fuel and Energy Minister Yevgeny Dyomin told the Committee meeting.
Crimea plans to build two electric power plants with a total capacity of 900 MW, and has also launched a project of an 850 MW electric power bridge with Russia, he added.
During the Soviet period, a project was developed to build two NPP units with a capacity of 1,000 MW each on the territory of Crimea. This abandoned Crimean NPP construction site is located in the area of Kazantip Cape. The power plant’s first unit was actually 90% built.
Considering the current state of the Crimean NPP site, it cannot be restored, experts say.
Rosenergoatom Deputy General Director Pavel Ipatov earlier said there was no need to build a nuclear power plant on the peninsula and instead Crimea should develop thermal power.
Crimea used to be part of Russia from 1784 until 1954 when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handed it over to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in a voluntaristic act. Crimea remained part of independent Ukraine after the USSR collapsed in 1991.
A people’s referendum was held in Crimea on March 16, 2014, in which most people voted for reuniting with Russia. On March 18, 2014, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Crimea’s integration into Russia.