Nuclear energy consistent with European eco-friendly trend

11.03.2016

During the climate summit in Paris in December 2015 195countries supported the Framework Convention on Climate Change, according to which, parties involved shall make every effort to prevent the rising of the Earth’s temperature by more than 2°. Primarily, the plan to achieve this involves lowering CO2 emissions by 2030 by not less than 30%.

In this regard, the role of peaceful atom, as an alternative energy source with minimal environment impact, will rise drastically. According to Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano: “Atomic energy has minimal impact on the environment and helps minimize greenhouse gas emissions.” In 2002, International Energy Agency (IEA) conducted a large-scale study on how various energy sources affect people’s lives and health. Nuclear energy was recognized as most harmless, while coal-burning was related to the most deaths per megawatt of produced electricity, primarily, due to the emissions that coal power plants produce.

The development of nuclear energy has been on the rise in Europe in recent years. Shortly before the Paris climate summit, the UK promised that it will close all its coal power plants by 2025 to create a modern energy infrastructure consistent with 21st-century standards. The country has plans to launch the construction of new power units at the nuclear power station Hinkley Point B and commission twelve new reactors by 2030.

Finland, for its part, laid down the first stone of its future Hanhikivi nuclear power plant early this year. The plant is expected to come online in 2024. Besides, the country is working on the construction of the third power unit at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. Hungary has plans to begin the construction of two new power units at the Paks II nuclear power plant in 2018.

Belarus is also building a nuclear power plant. The project is carried out using the Russian technology VVER-1200. The design of the future plant is similar to that of Finland’s Hanhikivi and Hungary’s Paks II. The first power unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018. IAEA experts make positive remarks about the construction process. “Belarus is a member of the IAEA. The country has achieved a considerable progress in its nuclear energy project, and the agency actively supports it,” Martin Krause, Director of the Division for Europe at the IAEA Technical Cooperation Department, said during an IAEA technical meeting that discussed Belarus as a country in focus.

Section Head of the IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section Milko Kovachev, Bulgaria’s former Energy Minister, noted that Belarus chose a time-tested nuclear power plant design: “VVER-1200 is a new generation of power-generating units that Russia offers today. This is a wise decision to choose time-tested advanced technologies. The fact that there is a reference plant is an important feature of this project.”

Swedish energy industry specialist and IAEA consultant Per Lindell noted that nuclear energy is being introduced in Belarus in a “very professional manner”.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will annually replace about 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by 7 to 10 million tons per year. The country thereby will contribute to the fight against global warming – a goal sought by the whole modern world.

(Source: EU Reporter)

Tags: Belarusian NPP , cooperation , IAEA , nuclear industry , Russia

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