IAEA: Alternative energy is no substitute for nuclear energy

Alternative power engineering as well as shale gas will not be able to replace nuclear energy in the global energy budget. The statement was made by Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, during the trip to the Kaliningrad nuclear power plant in Tver Oblast as part of an official visit to Russia, Russian mass media report.

“I understand that the share of renewable energy in the world will rise and naturally it has its own advantages,” stressed the IAEA head. “But renewable sources of energy have their own negative sides, including the high cost and the inability to use them for basic generation”.

Yukiya Amano remarked that an international ministerial conference Nuclear Power in the 21st Century will take place in Saint Petersburg, Russia in June. In his opinion, the conference can become a turning point in the development of nuclear power engineering worldwide.

Yukiya Amano also spoke about the expansion of the number of nuclear powers. He underlined that developing nations should become nuclear powers. Russia is busy assisting many countries, which are new to nuclear power engineering, or cooperating with the countries, which already develop the existing installations.

Speaking about plans to develop nuclear power engineering worldwide, Yukiya Amano said that the share of nuclear energy will increase by at least 20% by 2030 and by 100% at most. The United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Vietnam, and some other countries are willing to build nuclear power plants already and Russian specialists work in many of the countries, said the IAEA head. Yukiya Amano also reminded that Belarus, Jordan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Poland, and Czechia are willing to develop nuclear power engineering.

In line with the IAEA’s optimistic scenario the worldwide usage of nuclear energy will increase by 100% by 2030.