What is your position in the company and how long have you held this position?
I am the chief representative of the Moscow office of Bopp & Reuther Sicherheits und Regelarmaturen GmbH and have held this position since August 2009.
How long have you been in business in Russia and the Caspian?
The representative office was established in 2002. However the first project to be undertaken by the company was before this – type Si 63 DIN safety valves and spares were supplied to the Ryazan and Tyumen refineries in the year 2000. Following this, over 10 further projects were undertaken in the nuclear, process and power plant industries.
What companies have you worked with in the Region?
B&R is currently working with Rosenergoatom, specifically the Kola, Kalinin, Novovoronezh and Balakovo NPPs in Russia. Our products have also been supplied to the South-Ukrainian NPP in Ukraine.
Our client list also includes TEK Mosenergo, Atomstroyexport, E4 Group and Technopromexport, and we have worked with design institutes such as TEP, MEP on issues related to power plants.
Rosneft, Gazpromneft, Slaftneft and Lukoil could be considered as our partners for the process industry. We are also currently trying to forge a partnership with Stroytransgaz.
What is your most recent success in the market?
We have recently delivered pressurizer pilot operated safety valves to the Rosenergoatom NPP at Kola, and safety valve units and switchover devices have also been delivered to Kstovo as part of our cooperation with OOO LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez in 2009/2010.Our contract to supply turbine bypass systems to the Yuzno-Uralskaya PP is without doubt success in process industry.
Have you had any recent product launches for the region?
The majority of our product launches have focused on the nuclear industry. We also have plans to launch safety valves in to Russia with position indicators and removable pressure pilots. Control valves with emergency vibration dampers for the cooling systems at the South-Ukrainian NPP can also be considered as a recent success, as well as our high pressure gate valves for conventional power plants. We also plan to provide type Si 11/13/14 safety valves to the process industry in the near future.
What is your favorite band and track?
My favorite band is The Beatles, but my favorite track is The Hotel California by The Eagles. I prefer the old style as opposed to modern music. The new techno/club style music is not my scene!
Where in the world would you most like to visit and why?
I would like to visit Rio de Janeiro for the carnival. This event, from my point of view seems very grandiose and I hope to attend one day.
I would also like to see Seven Wonders of the World; to see them I believe would be like touching ancient civilizations. I have never visited Lake Baykal either, so this is high on my list, as are places like Persepolis although I have been there before.
What is your favorite sport, and what team do you support?
My favorite sport is soccer; indeed I am a fan of any ball games such as soccer, basketball and volleyball. When I was younger I played hand ball and hockey; any sports that involved a goal, I was a goalkeeper! During my visits to the factory in Mannheim I try to play soccer, time permitting. My favorite team is Spartak Moscow, and when I have time I try to go to the stadium to cheer them on. Unfortunately I have not gone to a live game this year because I have been working a lot! However I always catch the games on TV.
What are your thoughts on the Russian power market through to the end of this year and beyond?
The Russian Power Sector looks to be in great health, with many large construction programs in both the Nuclear and Conventional sectors either underway, or planned. The NPP(s) that have recently been completed in Russia are the Rostov NPP, Units 3 and 4 and the Leningrad NPP Stage II. The second stage of the Novovoronezh NPP is also under construction.
In terms of new NPP Units there are plans in both Russia and Turkey. Several conventional power plants under construction, such as the Nizhnevartovskaya, Berezovskaya and Kirishskaya power plants.
