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Novouralsk - an introduction Novouralsk - an introduction
The city of Novouralsk, formerly known as Sverdlovsk-44, is situated on the eastern side of Uralian mountain range, about 50 km north of Yekaterinburg. Although it came into being during World War ll, and was named Novouralsk in 1954, it was kept secret until 1994, since when it has had closed city status.Today Novouralsk has a population of around 100,000. The city's economy is dominated by the Uralian Electro Chemical Plant (UECP) around which it first grew up. The factory employs about 15,000 people, a third of the working population. In 1945, a plant was established to produce highly-enriched uranium for the Soviet nuclear weapons programme, and the first enriched uranium ever to be developed in Russia was produced four years later. In 1957 it was the first in the world to use the centrifuge method to produce enriched uranium. The company now ships fuel for non-military use in atomic power stations worldwide, and is one of the four largest enrichment combines in Russia. In 1992 the European Organisation Club of Commerce Leaders gave the plant the European award for quality. The city is laid out in a grid format, divided north south by the central street on which the main administrative centre is located. It is sub-divided into five residential districts, each covering 10,000 hectares. The city's economy is dominated by the nuclear, automobile and construction industries. During 2002, city enterprises produced goods worth 721 million rubles (excluding UECP). The average monthly wage was 6,975 rubles. IndustryUralian Electro Chemical Plant (UECP)In 1957, the Uralian Electro Chemical Plant became the first in the world to use the centrifuge method for uranium enrichment. This technology is still the most widely used for isotope separation today. Early production began in 1961 with a large centrifuge production unit going into operation three years later. As centrifuge is far more effective than the gas-diffusion method, it had replaced earlier technologies by the early 1990s. Modern centrifuges at the plant can rotate at 15,000 RPS, a world record. They have a lifespan of over 15 years and an annual breakdown rate of less than one tenth of a percent.
During the early 1970s UECP started to look for orders overseas, but for low-riched uranium as opposed to the highly-enriched uranium required for military purposes. UECP won a growing number of contracts during the seventies to supply low-enriched uranium for use as demand fuel in atomic power stations grew worldwide. The first was with France, signed in May 1971. Since then, it has shipped uranium to Spain, Belgium, England, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Italy, the USA, and South Korea. It has also had contracts with companies in Yugoslavia and Argentina. Along with other companies, UECP has participated in the US-Russian non-proliferation programme to convert highly enriched uranium (HEU) into low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel for atomic stations. In 1989 USCP completely halted its manufacture of weapon-grade uranium to work exclusively on the production of low-enriched uranium. Today, UECP is a multi-industry company, responsible for 90%of Novouralsk's output. Its main product remains low-enriched uranium for use in the nuclear industry, which makes it one of the four largest enrichment combines in Russia. In 1992 the European Organisation Club of Commerce Leaders gave the plant European award for quality. In addition to uranium production, UECP designs and produces new devices and technological process control units for the nuclear industry. It also has three other plants: an electro chemical converter plant, an electro-mechanical plant and an instrumental plant. The plant has been working on the manufacture of electro-chemical current generators for spacecraft since 1967. Uralian Auto-Motor Plant (UAMZ)This plant once played a very important role in the city's development. It was founded in 1967 as an affiliate of the Moscow Auto-Motor Plant ZIL to manufacture car engines and parts. By the end the 1980s the plant was producing 17,000 heavy trucks annually. It won several awards, including Leader of Russian Economy, the European Quality Diploma, the ARCH of Europe Gold Star Award, the Golden Eagle Prize and the Partnership for Progress Association award. Its innovations include the truck tractor Buran and prototype low-frame trucks. During the early 1990s UAMZ ran into difficulties when demand for its products slumped. The company was unable to survive in the new competitive market, and in 2003 manufacturing stopped when it was declared bankrupt. There are now plans to launch a new production line of medium-tonnage trucks in cooperation with the Minsk Automobile Plant. During its time of operation, UAMZ built over 250,000 square metres of residential housing in the city, along with four schools and a wide range of facilities. Sredneuralsk Construction Unit (SCU)SCU was formed to build the infrastructure of the new city. As well as the giant UECP plant, it has built facilities in cities across Russia. It is one of the largest construction companies in the Urals with 14 specialised departments, and seven separate plants. These include house-building, stone-processing, and reinforced concrete, claydite gravel, and asphalt and crushing-sorting plants. It also owns three quarries, and a wood-processing plant that enables the company to build large-panel houses. Its products include marble, claydite gravel, and timber. By the end of the 1980s, the company had moved from state ownership into self-management. In the early 1990s, the company was creating annually up to 150,000 square metres of industrial facilities, 110,000 square metres of residential housing and 110,000 square metres of social and cultural facilities delete?. Over the years, SCU has not only made a substantial contribution to the development of atomic industry in the Urals, but has contributed significantly to other sectors, including the space industries, turbine, rare-earth materials, hard alloys, non-ferrous metal, automobile, gold-mining, machine building and instrumental. In the beginning of the 90ies it became a stock company, and had managed to maintain the volume of construction works and the 10-thousand-construction-staff till lately, but then the construction company got resolved. Other companiesThere are several construction-related companies (including the ООО Yugorskaya Construction Company, ООО Alianceservicestroy, and TOO Novouralsk Construction Company), industrial enterprises (ОАО Verh-Neyvinsk Non-Ferrous Metal Plant and ОАО Iskra), as well as transportation companies, food-processing plants and public works in the ZATO. There are now over 100 retail stores and 53 catering firms. Telecommunication is developing in the city (including .ООО Electro Communication. Networks. Systems - providing Internet, IP-telephony, MMDS access, television, broadcasting, etc.) The small business sector
Recent years have seen the emergence of the small and medium-sized business sector. The Small Business Support Fund was formed in 1996 to give support in developing information systems as well as certifying products and services. The Fund provides grants and other kinds of assistance to small businesses. The Association of Medium and Small Businesses was founded in 1997 to promote private business in Novouralsk. Having overcome organisational challenges the association has grown, and successfully worked towards securing a reduction in the tax rate in 2001. The association now includes over 70 entrepreneurs and companies. Education and ScienceScientific activity is mainly focused around the Uralian Electro Chemical Plant, where research and design work are carried out across a broad range of areas, often in conjunction with educational bodies such as the Novouralsk State Technological Institute. The latter is a former affiliate of Moscow State Engineering Physical Institute, which became independent in 2002. The education sector in Novouralsk is unique. Over 20,000 people are currently studying, around a quarter of the population. As well as the Technological Institute there are two colleges in the city (Polytechnic and Humanitarian, the latter being an affiliate of the Uralian State Pedagogical University), two vocational colleges, a medical college, three affiliates of non-governmental higher educational institutions, and 22 regular and specialised schools. The city also has a range of children's and young people's art centres, a Vocational Training Centre, a Children's Technical Club, and many sports clubs. CultureModern day Novouralsk has two Cultural Centres, three libraries, which are considered the best in the region, a children's arts school and a children's musical school, two cinemas, a museum, a puppet theatre, and an amusement park. The Central City Library has become a focus for cultural activities and holds over 800 events annually. The library is fully computerised, and offers free Internet access, and Novouralsk citizens consider their library to be one of the best in Russia. Another library in the city caters solely for children and young people. Cultural life has evolved as the city has grown. The first social club opened in 1947, home to a brass band and various clubs, including drama, followed by cinema and a library in 1949. A musical school opened in 1950 and the Operetta Theatre in 1951. The Theatre can seat up to 600 people, and the company has travelled to dozens of Russian cities, and to practically every city in the Urals. The Puppet Theatre Skazka was founded in 1957. The Municipal Concert-Sports Complex was opened in 1998, a modern facility with an artificial ice rink and a hockey pitch. It can be used as an ice stadium or sports or a concert ground with seating for 1,270 people. The Historical and Area-Study Museum has over 8,000 exhibits. The information used was gathered from the following web-sites:
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