NPP reduces adverse impact of energy system on environment

The use of a nuclear power plant reduces a negative impact of the energy system on the environment, Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Energy Ministry of Belarus Nikolai Grusha told an online conference hosted by BelTA on 22 March.

“Thermal electric power plants which operate on heating oil, coal and natural gas pollute the environment releasing carbon dioxide that is the main cause for greenhouse effect and global warming, sulphur dioxide which leads to acid rains, and nitrogen oxides. All the abovementioned pollutants are absent in the NPP operation,” the official said.

It is estimated that smaller amounts of organic fuel in use once the nuclear power plant is constructed in Belarus will reduce the annual amount of greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10 million tonnes.

The negative radiation impact is much higher in the area of a heat power plant running on coal, as compared to the NPP, said Nikolai Grusha. “This is because coal contains a number of radioactive elements, which after burning are partially released into the atmosphere. The main part is retained in ash residues. This is low-activity waste, but its amounts are extremely large,” the expert said.

When talking about possible release of radioactive substances into the atmosphere, Nikolai Grusha noted that the impact of nuclear power plants with this type of reactor is minimal on the environment and the population. Thus, during the period of it operation (60 years) of the NPP with a PWR reactor with the electrical capacity of 2 million kW, the surface soil contamination with radionuclides in the immediate vicinity of the plant does not exceed 0.01% of natural radioactive background typical of clean areas. The radiation burden on the population does not exceed 0.1% of the annual dose limit for the population (0.1 mSv).

"The radiation monitoring data show that the emissions from nuclear power plants in Russia are much less than the prescribed limits, sometimes dozens of times," said the department director.