VOLGODONSK (Rostov Region), March 21 (RIA Novosti) - The second power unit of the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant (NPP) in south Russia is to be launched by the yearend, a deputy Russian prime minister said Saturday.

"We plan to launch the second power unit of the NPP by the end of 2009. I also hope that in the next two-three months we will make the decision to build the third power unit of the nuclear power plant," Sergei Sobyanin said when visiting the NPP construction site.

Sobyanin, who chairs the supervisory board of the Rosatom state nuclear power corporation, highly assessed the operation of the first power unit, noting that "the unit operates in normal mode."

The Volgodonsk NPP, situated some 1,000 km (621 miles) south of Moscow and having one pressurized water reactor, started operation in 2001.