Russia to build powerful laser facility

Russia intends to build the world's most powerful laser research station at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, a Russian nuclear official said.

The station would likely be constructed near the Sarov Federal Nuclear Center in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, Ildar Ilkayev, head of the center, said Thursday.

He did not say when construction of the laser facility would begin.

"The Russian leadership made a decision to build the world's largest laser station," Ilkayev told RIA Novosti.

"The United States has already constructed a similar station and France is about to complete the construction of their own station. We [Russia] are behind them because it costs a lot, but it will be the best one in the world," he said.

Ilkayev said the station, which would take 10 years to build, will be used both for military and scientific purposes, particularly research into laser thermonuclear fusion as an energy source.

It will be capable of generating 2.8 mega joules of ultraviolet laser energy compared to the output of the U.S. and French stations of 2 mega joules, he said.