On April 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill to set up a state-owned nuclear power holding that will control the country’s civilian nuclear energy industry.

The holding, called Atomenergoprom, will in turn become a part of a larger corporation that will control both civilian and military nuclear energy in Russia.

Kommersant daily reported that Atomenergoprom will be set up in July. It is rumored that the holding’s director will be the deputy head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) Vladimir Travin.

In his state-of-the-nation address on Thursday, April 26, President Putin said that Russia would soon create a state corporation that will unite civilian and miliatry nuclear energy industries.

The new corporation, Rosatom, is to own all nuclear military and research assets as well as the Atomenergoprom holding. The nuclear giant is to receive the assets for management in 2008. Unofficial sources reported that the corporation would be directly accountable to the Russian President who would appoint its board.

Well-informed sources told Kommersant on Firday that the military arms exporter Rosoboronexport may soon follow suit and be turned into a state-run corporation. The national corporation on nanotechnology is likely to be set up following the same pattern.

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