Russia continues the construction of nuclear power plants abroad despite the global coronavirus outbreak, head of Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) said on Thursday.
'We are carrying on with all our export new builds despite challenges related to the spread of the coronavirus in a number of countries,' said the company's director general Aleksey Likhachev.
'The most stringent measures' have been put in place at all construction sites to ensure the safety of personnel, according to Likhachev.
He said that they have always had contingency plans for any kind of emergency situations, including those related to the health of the employees.
According to Likhachev, the company is guided by the recommendations of the disease control services and governments of the countries of their operation.
He also said that they are fully prepared to strengthen measures to counter the spread of the infection, including by means of quarantine, if any measures are introduced by local authorities, and up to personnel evacuation.
'Rosatom is taking all necessary precautions to minimise the negative impact this health crisis has on supply chains and to ensure that we fully meet our obligations to customers according to timelines stipulated in all relevant contracts,' Likhachev said.
The Russian company has construction projects abroad for 36 nuclear units, including Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, India, and Turkey.
The company is constructing Turkey's first nuclear power plant Akkuyu, comprising four units with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts each, in the southern province of Mersin.
By Firdevs Yuksel
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr