Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, is proposing to partially revive the free trade agreement with Ukraine as regards a number of products for nuclear power plants (NPP).
A draft Russian presidential order to this effect, drafted by Rosatom, has been published on the federal website for draft legislation.
This would apply to forged products, a memo attached to the order states. “The products for which the free trade agreement would be preserved are necessary for the production of long-lead equipment (steam generator, reactor, main circulation pump unit and other) for NPP,” the memo states.
“The absence of a customs duty will keep the cost of manufacturing NPP equipment at the current level and, consequently, also the cost of building NPP both in Russia and abroad, ensuring Rosatom’s competitiveness as one of the leading players on the world nuclear market. Among other things, this will reduce the risk of a disruption in the long-term plans of nuclear industry enterprises for construction of NPP abroad,” the memo states.
Otherwise, the increase in the cost of producing equipment for NPP at this stage already will average more than 130 million rubles for every NPP construction project, which will lead to the possible disruption of timetables for delivery of equipment if other suppliers need to be found, and this would affect the whole cycle of building and delivering NPP, the member said.
