Russian expert: it’s unwise to reduce pace of nuclear power development if country prioritises economy
One of the sessions of the 17th Verona Eurasian Economic Forum, held on December 5th-6th in Ras al Khaimah (UAE) – Challenge of New Technologies: from Digitalisation to Medicine – was devoted to the topic of innovation. In his report, Alexander Dyomin, the Secretary of State – Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision of Russia (Rostekhnadzor), explained why states aimed at developing their own economies should not abandon traditional sources of thermal energy and reduce the pace of nuclear power development.
“Of course, green energy continues to develop, efficiency is increasing, and degradation of solar panels is decreasing. Meanwhile, the vulnerability of these technologies cannot but taken into consideration. To begin with, neither wind nor the sun have made any commitment to constant operation. Therefore, in the cases where uninterrupted power supply is important or critical, reservation will be required – which will entail additional costs,” Mr. Dyomin noted.
The Russian expert stressed that the use of renewable energy sources does not always mean the concern for the environment, “Renewable energy sources are much lower in terms of generation volumes than conventional sources, so all of this energy tends to be distributed, and it is often remote from centres of energy consumption. This is resulting in a greater length of grids. Laying air grids requires cutting down forests, underground grids require restrictions on land use, and in any case, it is an increase in the number of hazardous facilities.”
Relying on expert forecasts, Mr. Dyomin said that, by 2050, the volume of energy consumption in the world will exceed 2-2.5 times the current one, “In this regard, it is unwise to give up traditional sources of thermal energy and reduce the pace of nuclear power development. Many states that prioritise their further economic development are already implementing or starting to realise nuclear power plant projects, even those countries that had no such experience before. The Russian Federation is facilitating this; nuclear power plants in Turkiye, Egypt, and Belarus have been or are being built according to Russian designs. We contribute, among other things, to the preparation of the relevant regulatory framework and the formation of national regulatory bodies, thus levelling the risks that may be caused by the introduction of new technologies.”
