Russia says nuclear power plants safe

By Matthew Green

LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yevgeny Adamov said on Friday that Russia's nuclear power plants were as safe as those in Western Europe and unlikely to suffer millennium computer glitches.

"I think we have the same level of safety in all our units as Western units of the same vintage," Adamov told reporters in London.

An explosion at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine in April 1986 spewed a cloud of radioactive dust over parts of Russia and Europe and raised fears among Western officials of repeat disasters at similar Soviet reactors.

Adamov said that since the collapse of the Soviet Union and a thawing in relations with the West, joint teams of Russian and Western experts had cooperated to improve safety through training and upgrading equipment.

"Many people think that it (safety) is only a Russian problem, it's not true," said Adamov, in London for the annual Symposium of the Uranium Institute.

He said he did not envisage any problems with the millennium computer bug, which may scramble systems that have not been programmed to recognise the date change to 2000.

He said the rate of unplanned shutdowns at Russian reactors was equal to that of Germany, and lower than France or the United States.

The G7 group of leading industrial nations launched a nuclear safety initiative at its Munich summit in 1992 for Soviet-built reactors based on the same technology that caused the Chernobyl disaster. Gennady Nefedov, a deputy head of department at the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry, said spending on safety had been increased with international help.

"The implemented upgrading efforts have resulted in a significant upgrading in the safety and reliability of Russian nuclear power plants," he said.

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Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), September 10, 1999

Answers

"I think we have the same level of safety in all our units as Western units of the same vintage,"

If that IS the case then I guess Western Europe is screwed....

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasn@Yahoo.com), September 10, 1999.

lyin & dyin,---signs of the times.DENIAL OF TRUTH.[satan is winning]

-- i believe, (dogs@zianet.com), September 10, 1999.

Adamov is the head of Russia's Atomic Energy, he say's they're O'Tay. Gee, no conflict of interests there!?!? On the other hand the CIA assesment tells quite a different story on Russia's infrastructure. Who is a rational, thinking person to believe? Why, the Russian with the conflict of interest of course(NOT)! No conspiracy, or tinfoil here polly's, just common(or what used to be common) sense.

Trust, but VERIFY.

-- CygnusXI (noburnt@toast.net), September 10, 1999.

Don't trust, and verify!

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), September 10, 1999.