Rosatom head: The role of nuclear energy continues rising

The role of nuclear energy industry across the globe continues rising. The statement was made by Sergei Kiriyenko, Director General of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom, at the ceremony held in Moscow on 1 June to open the 7th international forum Atomexpo 2015, BelTA has learned.

“The role grows more and more pronounced every day. Today the global nuclear industry has recovered the volume of orders and the number of nuclear power plants under construction since the tragedy at the Fukushima nuclear power plant,” stressed the Rosatom head. “Nuclear energy industry develops fast and changes: the lifecycle of nuclear power plants grow longer, the geography changes, new technologies become available. But most of all, partnership and mutual dependence grow stronger.”

According to Sergei Kiriyenko, all these factors make nuclear energy industry a unique item of international cooperation. “This is why such forums are so important for us because they give us an opportunity to discuss not only bilateral cooperation but conditions vital for the successful development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” said the executive.

Sergei Kiriyenko stressed that the current forum is held in the year of the 70th anniversary since the foundation of the Russian nuclear energy industry. “By the way, last year we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the world’s first nuclear power plant in Obninsk near Moscow. Nowadays when it takes years to prospect a site, go through the procedures, prepare all the contracts for a new power plant the fact that only nine years after its creation our nuclear energy industry started building and commissioned the world’s first nuclear power plant is marvelous. It is a very short period of time. Back then nuclear energy specialists understood well how nuclear technologies could influence the successful development of the global economy and the entire international community,” said the Rosatom head.

The 7th international forum Atomexpo 2015 is scheduled to take place in Moscow on 1-3 June. The forum will focus on safe usage of nuclear technologies, treatment of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.

The organizers of the forum have prepared an extensive business program. In particular, plans have been made to arrange a roundtable session to discuss economic effectiveness, safety guarantees during the implementation of reference solutions in the final stage of the lifecycle of nuclear energy installations. Participants of the session will discuss Russian and foreign experience of handling spent nuclear fuel, will share the knowledge in the field of safe isolation of radioactive waste, technologies for industrial processing and conditioning of radioactive waste, and technologies for decommissioning nuclear energy installations. The applicability of Russian experience of forming the legal model for burying radioactive waste in countries that plan to develop nuclear energy industries will be discussed.

A number of executives representing the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom, the French nuclear industry corporation AREVA, the project for handling nuclear fuel of the Hungarian nuclear power plant Paks, the Slovakian power plants operating company (Slovenske Elektrarne) are expected to take part in the roundtable session. The participants will also include representatives of foreign and Russian nuclear industry companies and agencies.

The international forum Atomexpo is the largest annual event that has become the central platform for discussing the most topical matters concerning nuclear energy industry and for determining the industry’s development avenues. The forum is organized by Rosatom.