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President Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon Sergei Vladilenovich!

Let us start with the industry's results this year.

Head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency Sergei Kirienko: Today – we still have to wait a little bit for 2007 to end – nuclear power stations are operating steadily. This year we produced a record amount of electricity. Nuclear power stations have provided the country with more than 14 billion kilowatt hours. This is a record both for the Soviet Union and for Russia. Along with this, the most important indicator is that which measures the effectiveness with which we use the capacities we have, the so-called utilization coefficient of our present capacities. Over two years this grew to five and a half percent. This is a good figure.

As to the reliability of our nuclear power stations, there have been no errors for the past five years. There is an international scale which classifies any problems that might arise. We did not have any errors that were rated above zero on this scale. In other words, no error that represented a security problem.

The most important thing is that this year, for the first time in Russia's history, we have begun to build nuclear energy units, in accordance with your request and the tasks set out in the Address to the Federal Assembly. Two new power units – one at the Leningrad nuclear power plant and one at the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant – are being built from scratch. Until now we had simply expanded what remained from Soviet times.

Vladimir Putin: Let us recall the whole programme: how far ahead in the future have we planned?

Sergei Kirienko: In accordance with our programme – a mandatory programme – we must build a minimum of 26 new large capacity power plants with a capacity of 1150 megawatts each and put them into operation before 2020.

Vladimir Putin: Before 2020. And throughout the entire Soviet period, we introduced…

Sergei Kirienko: Thirty.

Vladimir Putin: That number is comparable with the entire Soviet period.

Sergei Kirienko: Absolutely.

Vladimir Putin: And as of that time, the total amount of electricity that the nuclear energy industry will provide will be…

Sergei Kirienko: We must reach 25 percent by 2020. And in light of the tasks you set out we must aim for 30 percent. The optimal amount would be 28–30 percent.

Vladimir Putin: You know that the law on the federal corporation [Rosatom] just came into effect and is designed to create the conditions for the development and the modernization of the nuclear industry. We intend to ask you to head this corporation, and the relevant decree will be made in the next few days.

Sergei Kirienko: Thank you for your confidence in me.