Expert: Nuclear energy meets all requirements of the energy industry of the future

MINSK, 19 August (BelTA) – Nuclear energy meets all requirements of the energy industry of the future, BelTA learned from Artyom Petrosyan, Acting Director General of ZAO Scientific Research Institute of Energy (SRIE), Candidate of Science (Engineering).

According to the source, electricity consumption is rising fast all over the world and is expected to rise by 28-32% by 2040. Virtually all the countries have undertaken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions within the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement. It is possible to honor the commitment while increasing the use of electricity only if the structure of the global balance of electricity generation changes.

Artyom Petrosyan believes that requirements for the energy industry of the future can be determined as follows: the cost of energy should be economically attractive and stable over a lengthy period of time, the method of energy generation should be environmentally friendly.

The expert believes that nuclear energy industry meets these requirements. At the same time nuclear energy is not an alternative to other environmentally friendly sources of electricity. Solar power, wind power, water power, and nuclear power should complement each other and produce the foundation of the future global carbon-free balance.

Just like Belarus Armenia has no oil and natural gas of its own. For many nations nuclear energy represents a tried-and-tested, clean, safe, and economical technology that will play an important role in achieving energy security and sustainable development goals in the 21st century, Artyom Petrosyan noted.

The second unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant generates about 40% of the electricity the country uses. The nuclear power plant does not need continuously imported natural gas. The nuclear power plant releases no greenhouse gases and provides a steady source of electricity for households and the manufacturing sector. Taking into account these factors, the Armenian government has decided to extend the designed service life of the second unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant. In December 2014 Armenia and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in extending the designed service life of the second unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant. An intergovernmental agreement on financing the service life extension program was signed in 2015. A colossal amount of work is supposed to be done on a tight schedule within the framework of the project.

Artyom Petrosyan is convinced that the future of the world nuclear energy industry belongs to the closed nuclear fuel cycle. If the fuel cycle is closed, nuclear energy will become even more environmentally friendly and safer. It will offer a virtually inexhaustible source of energy for millennia. Taking into account the current level of science and technology there are reasons to believe that an integrated product will be offered to the international market within the next 10-15 years, the expert believes. In his opinion, the creation of the industrial infrastructure able to reduce the number of spent nuclear fuel storage facilities and recycle spent nuclear fuel components is the key task.

The expert believes that international cooperation will play a prominent role in the future. “First of all, we are talking about safety. We should definitely support efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to consistently raise requirements in this field. The world nuclear energy industry demonstrates impeccable dedication to principles of safe and steady development of all spheres of the manufacturing sector. Safe technologies and solutions are not just a requirement, but the crucial condition for any nuclear project,” Artyom Petrosyan stressed.

The expert identified the coordination of efforts to shape the correct reputation of the nuclear energy industry as the second direction of international cooperation. “We should step up cooperation in order to not just simply form public acceptability of nuclear energy but enable conditions for public need for nuclear energy,” he noted.

According to the source, the key role of the nuclear energy industry is to enable steady development and global transition to low-carbon types of electricity generation. Nuclear energy meets all the requirements of the energy industry of the future, Artyom Petrosyan stressed.