Putin to chair meeting on atomic energy at Volgodonsk NPP.

MOSCOW, March 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will
make a working visit to the southern Rostov region on Thursday to visit
the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant where he will chair a meeting on the
construction of nuclear power stations in the country and abroad using
Russian technologies.

The meeting agenda also includes such issues as increasing the share
of atomic power generation and strengthening Russia's positions in this
sector on the world market. The meeting will involve hook-ups with various
nuclear construction projects in Russia and abroad.
The prime minister will also attend the ceremony of commissioning unit
No. 2 of the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant and inspect the unit No. 3 and
unit No. 4 construction sites. The commissioning of unit No. 2 will become
the first one under the federal target programme "Development of Atomic
Energy Industry in Russia in 2007-2010".
The development of atomic power industry is one of the government
priorities. Despite the aftermath of the global economic and financial
crisis, 68 billion roubles have been allocated from the federal budget for
nuclear power plant construction in 2010. With Rosenergoatom's
investments, the total amount will grow to 175 billion roubles.
Russia is building ten new nuclear power units at the Volgodonsk,
Novovoronezh, Leningrad, Beloyarsk, Kalinin, and Baltic nuclear power
plants, as well as threw world's first floating nuclear power plant
Akademik Lomonosov.
At the same time, five units are under construction outside Russia,
including Kudankulam in India (two units), Bushehr in Iran (one nit), and
Belene in Bulgaria (two units).
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russian reactors
are considered among the most reliable.
The Volgodonsk nuclear power plant is one of the biggest power
generation facilities in southern Russia. It is located on the
Tsimlanskoye water reservoir, 13.5 kilometres from Volgodonsk. Cost
efficient operation of unit No. 1 generates 40 percent of electricity in
the Rostov region. In 2006, the Federal Atomic Energy Agency made the
decision to build unit No. 2 at the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant.
The plant transmits electricity by four LEP-500 and two LEP-200 power
lines to the Volgograd and Rostov regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol
territories.
In 2009, the plant generated more than eight billion kilowatt/hours of
electricity. Since the beginning of 2010, unit No. 1 has produced over
1,000,710,000 kilowatt/hours of electricity.
Rosatom head Sergei Kiriyenko will also attend the unit No. 2
commissioning ceremony.

.Medvedev, Ban Ki-moon to discuss Russia-UN cooperation.

MOSCOW, March 18 (Itar-Tass) -- President Dmitry Medvedev will meet
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday.
Ban-Ki-moon is in Russia on a working visit to attend a
Russia-initiated meeting of the Quartet of international mediators for the
Middle East settlement.
"Considering Russia's strategic commitment to consistent strengthening
of the U.N. role in the emerging multi-polar system of international
relations and consolidation of multilateral approaches to the resolution
of global problems and challenges, Dmitry Medvedev and Ban Ki-moon will
exchange views on current issues of interaction between the Russian
Federation and the United Nations Organisation and its institutions," the
presidential press service said.
"Special attention will be paid to the state of affairs in the Middle
East settlement in light of the Quartet meeting, support to international
development (taking into account the consequences of the global financial
and economic crisis), and measures to respond to global climate changes,"
the press service said.
The agenda also includes the development of practical cooperation
between the U.N. and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).
Medvedev and Ban Ki-moon will also discuss the upcoming multilateral
events at the U.N. marking the 65th anniversary of the victory over Nazi
Germany in World War II.

.Azerbaijani president pardons 72 people.

BAKU, March 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev on
Wednesday pardoned 72 people convicted earlier for various crimes.
Aliyev made the decision after having "considered the appeals from the
convicts and their families, taking into account their condition, family
status and behaviour in prison, as well as taking guidance from the
principles of humanism," according to the president's order that is timed
to coincide with one of the main holidays in Azerbaijan, Navruz,
celebrated on March 20-24.
Sixty-two convicts sentenced to different terms have been relieved
from further imprisonment. Nine persons were relieved from punishment in
the form of restriction of liberty and fines. One person sentenced to life
imprisonment had his term reduced to 20 years.
During his presidency since 2003, Aliyev has signed 16 pardon orders,
thus setting free up to 6,000 people. In addition, 50,000 citizens of
Azerbaijan have been amnestied under nine amnesty acts.
-0-zak/


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