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Get acquainted with Zheleznogorsk!
The closed city of Zheleznogorsk is situated in the southern part of central Siberia on the banks of the river Yenisey. Historical background Zheleznogorsk achieved its city status thanks to the establishment of a number of major state enterprises, in particular, the Mining and Chemical Combinat, but also the United Scientific-Production Union of Applied Mechanics (NPO PM), the Department No 9 Administered by the Russian Spetsstroy and the Chemical Factory. Zheleznogorsk was founded in the 1950s as a highly secret military centre of Federal significance. It was not marked on the map and, as with other closed cities, its name, Krasnoyarsk-26, was deliberately unrevealing. The history of Zheleznogorsk was closely linked to the development of the Russian nuclear industry. The fundamental purpose of the main Kombinat was the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons, for which purpose a unique complex of installations was constructed within a mountain, a complex which had no parallel anywhere else in the World. One of the most important years in the history of the City was 1958, which saw the start up of the first nuclear reactor and the decision to construct a centre for research into rocket motors. This was given the anodyne name Chemical Factory. The city grew rapidly. Following on from the first reactor, a further two came on stream. In 1964, three «Kosmos» sputniks, which had been produced in NPO PM were put into orbit. Alongside the industrial facilities, apartments were built and the infrastructure of the City was created, together with an artificial lake. In 1970, work started on building a factory designed for storing and recycling fuel from WWÅR nuclear power reactors. The project required the construction of a large industrial complex, which was called RT-2. However, as a result of protests from the ecology movement at the time and a change of plans for the development of the nuclear sector as a whole, the construction of the factory was stopped. Only the Federal spent nuclear fuel depository was constructed. This continues to function successfully to this day. A time of change The 1990s proved to be one of the most difficult periods in the history of the City. The country was afflicted by economic crisis, instability and inflation. Military orders for the state enterprises in the City were cutback, and in the case of some areas of activity, simply cancelled. The following ten years saw the state enterprises both adjusting to operating in the market and also seeking out new spheres of activity through conversion projects. From 1999, Zheleznogorsk actively engaged in international collaboration. The Zheleznogorsk International Development Centre was established, and a series of programmes: the Russian-American Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI), Town Twinning, and the TIPS student exchange programme; were instituted. More than 30 investment projects received financial support in the framework of NCI through the activities of the Zheleznogorsk IDC between 1999 and 2006. In 2002–2004 a City Development Plan was prepared and approved. Key priorities for development were identified as the provision of energy, enhancing the skills of the workforce, making the City more attractive for investment, and improving collaboration with Federal and regional structures. Today some 100,000 people live in Zheleznogorsk and the working population is 53,000. Of these, 17,000, or roughly a third, work in the military sector, which as well as the nuclear complex includes modern rocket and space sector companies. The Closed City’s plans for the future are above all linked to the future of the main state and former state enterprises. The priorities for development today include support for entrepreneurial activities, increasing the flow of investment, creating and completing the business infrastructure, and extending scientific, technical and manufacturing activities in the territory of the City. The CNCP Programme The Russian-British Closed Nuclear Cities Partnership began work in Zheleznogorsk in 2005. Its objectives were defined from the start as the development of civil sector business and the creation of new jobs. In the period from 2005 to 2009 financial support was provided to 12 companies. According to current plans, 15 projects will generate more than 600 jobs for specialists from the City. Of these more than 400 have already been created. This will make a significant contribution to offsetting the strains caused by lay-offs resulting from the recent reactor closure. Also important is the fact that the involvement of CNCP has led to a higher overall level of investment activity, as the funding of projects initiated in the framework of CNCP is frequently linked to additional investment by the beneficiaries or other interested parties. As a consequence, in little over four years, investment projects worth 3.8 million pounds sterling have already been carried out in the City, while the total value of CNCP projects approved for Zheleznogorsk has reached more than 5.2 million pounds. The preparation of specialists capable of successfully carrying out the functions demanded by the market economy was one of the City’s strategic priorities. The training of personnel organised by CNCP in conjunction with IDC Zheleznogorsk, has helped develop a pool of individuals equipped to contribute to conversion projects. Specifically, in 2005–2007 financial assistance was provided for two educational projects. The first aimed to establish a LINK International Management Institute centre for distance learning in Zheleznogorsk. The second project supported the training in Zheleznogorsk of a group of specialists as part of the President’s Programme to develop management personnel. As a result, 57 people were given the opportunity to improve the level of their qualifications and to benefit from the latest advances in business education. A further area of CNCP activity is support for the establishment of commercial partnerships. In this context, meetings were organized for the Siberian Electronic Technologies company in Great Britain and Germany as part of a project involving the manufacture of radiation cross-linked polyethylene pipes. The establishment of a modern business infrastructure is impossible without the organization and development of information dissemination and Internet technology. To help companies and private businesses based in the City develop effective collaboration with enterprises located outside of the Closed City, a project to establish a Zheleznogorsk business portal was carried out with support from CNCP (www.k26.biz). This has resulted in many companies winning additional orders and extending their sales geographically. Today, the timetable for the closure of the last reactor gives CNCP’s activities in Zheleznogorsk a particular significance. The accumulated experience that it has provided and the system of collaboration involved make it possible for new civilian sector jobs to be created within a short space of time. Sergey Usoltsev, | |
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