Russia will add nuclear reactors, increase security

MOSCOW -- Russia plans to launch three new commercial nuclear reactors over the next five years and upgrade existing ones to higher standards, including stronger protection from possible terror attacks, top nuclear officials said Thursday.

U.S. officials have warned repeatedly about the dangers of poor security at Russia's nuclear plants and other facilities -- and the possibility of international terrorists either getting their hands on weapons material or staging an attack at a poorly guarded facility.

In December, Russia started up its 31st nuclear reactor, at the Kalinin nuclear power plant in western Russia. By 2010, the nation will have 34 reactors, said Oleg Sarayev, the head of the state-controlled Rosenergoatom consortium in charge of Russia's nuclear power plants.

"We aren't going to take any of the currently operating reactors off duty during that period, and work has already started to modernize the reactors approaching the end of their designated lifetime," Sarayev said at a news conference.

During recent years, Russia has overcome a public backlash against nuclear power that followed the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and supported an ambitious program to develop its nuclear industry.

Sarayev said the two latest nuclear reactors put on line since 2001 have upgraded security systems for stronger protection against possible terror attacks and other risks. He said security at other reactors would also be tightened.

"We are paying increased attention to strengthening the physical protection of our plants," Sarayev said. "New threats have emerged, which made that necessary."

Sarayev said Russia's security services have conducted regular exercises imitating terror attacks on nuclear power plants that helped enhance their security.

"That doesn't mean that we have such a level of protection that completely satisfies us. We will continue to make improvements," Sarayev said.

He said living conditions have been improved for the Interior Ministry troops guarding the Rostov nuclear power plant in southern Russia, about 300 miles north of Chechnya.

The U.S. Nunn-Lugar program has spent billions of dollars to improve security at weapons storage sites in Russia and other former Soviet republics, but U.S. officials say many of Russia's nuclear sites still don't have sufficient safeguards in place.