Hardly anything can substitute nuclear power generation in the next 80 years

The most sophisticated and cheapest kind of power generation is nuclear power generation. Hardly anything can substitute nuclear power generation in the next 80 years. The statement was made by Mr Yuri Raptanov, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the all-Russian public ecological organization Podorozhnik, BelTA has learned.

“With due respect for Germany as a deeply fundamental nation that has given the world plenty of various scientific, technological, and technical projects I am convinced that hardly anything will be able to substitute nuclear power generation in the next 80 years. Other alternative sources will not be able to do it due to the limited resources. In nuclear power generation one unit of resource produces a lot more than other kinds, and the energy is cheaper at that,” stressed Yuri Raptanov.

In his words, as far as the production of panels for solar power generation is concerned, the cost of manufacturing silicon polycrystal goes down but very insignificantly and still remains high. Apart from that, the generation of solar energy is riddled with the problems of having to recycle panels and will be able to satisfy only several percent of a country's demand for electricity.

“Germany is likely to start buying electricity from nuclear power plants of neighboring countries sooner or later. However, I believe that pragmatic Germans will all the same join the race to build nuclear power installations. I don’t see other economically expedient ways for the Germans and the Swiss to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without using nuclear energy. Nuclear power engineering is the most technologically advanced and cheapest kind of energy generation. It doesn’t matter what kind of a reactor generates energy. I believe that thermonuclear power generation is the future. Once it goes commercial, even classic nuclear power generation will not be able to compete with it. The development of nuclear power engineering is an ecological trend. Twelve European countries have confirmed it,” the ecologist is convinced.

He also remarked that at present it is impossible to generate considerable amounts of electricity using solar and wind power, not in the amounts comparable to those generated by nuclear power. Huge areas to deploy solar batteries and wind mills will be required. “Apart from that, due to infrasonic noise wind mills cannot be placed close to homes. And it is not the only risk they entail for all the living beings,” said Yuri Raptanov.

“I think the social and economic situation in the country and in Europe as well as production downturn as part of the recession wave in the economy will still force Germany to seek nuclear power engineering. The country's technology is up to it but the Germans will have to catch up and it is a long and expensive process,” believes the Russian ecologist.

BelTA reported earlier that twelve members of the European Union had confirmed their adherence to developing nuclear power engineering as an important part of the strategy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The confirmation was stipulated by the joint statement issued after the ministerial meeting in London on 12 March by representatives of Bulgaria, the UK, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, France, and Czechia.