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The key topic of the Plenary Session was the establishment of the Obninsk Tech International Educational Centre for Developing Nuclear Technologies that is scheduled for 2024. The Obninsk Tech will be engaged in training highly qualified specialists for nuclear energy industry and related sectors.
“Yesterday it was too soon, and tomorrow it will be too late: this is exactly how we understand the event of today”, says Alexey Likhachev, the General Manager of the Rosatom State Corporation (SC). According to Mr. Likhachev, over the last 20-25 years the atomic industry has made a long and uneasy way: from discussing acceptability of atomic technologies, through demand for them, to irreplaceability thereof and lack of alternatives. “It is impossible to build a sustainable future on this planet without extensive use of nuclear technologies”, noted Mr. Likhachev, having emphasised the necessity of establishing the international educational cluster that would combine knowledge transfer and development of atomic technologies. This function will be performed by the Obninsk Tech, the establishment of which will be participated by the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, MEPhi National Nuclear Research Institute, the Kurchatov Institute, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research under the Russian Academy of Sciences, and by a number of other organisations. “It is very important for us that the future of atomic knowledge is being forged here, that people are prepared to change not only nuclear technologies but the whole world for the better”, summarised Mr. Likhachev.
“Nuclear energy industry has made a key contribution to the reduction of greenhouse emissions over the last five plus decades, while still remaining an indispensable part of the future”, commented Sama Bilbao y León, the Director General of the World Nuclear Association. Ms. Bilbao y León has reminded that nuclear power stations are secure sources of continuous clean energy supply not only for Global North countries, but also for Global South countries. According to her, nuclear power stations are sources of heat energy for industry, and can also be used for hydrogen and radioactive isotope production. “I believe that education can not only give an understanding of the role of nuclear power industry in the everyday life, but also provide students with an opportunity to contribute to the industry development, irrespective of their specialization in a particular sphere of atomic technologies”, stressed Sama Bilbao y León.
“According to an IAEA forecast, by 2050, capacity of all nuclear reactors operating worldwide can increase from the current 361–362 gigawatts (GW) to 890 GW”, says Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy General Manager and Head of IAEA Atomic Energy Department. “Despite the twofold increment, the share of nuclear power stations in the global power generation will not exceed 10%, while to prevent climate change and to replace fossil fuels, the share of nuclear power generation should amount to at least 20%”, he stressed. According to Mr. Chudakov’s estimate, currently the nuclear power industry employs 2.3 million people, while in 10-years’ time this number will amount to 3.3 million, and by 2050, to 4 million people inclusive of personnel that will be involved in shutting down the reactors that will have passed the service life limit. In its turn, that will create additional demand for specialist in the nuclear industry. “Therefore, we fully support the establishment of the cluster in Obninsk”, noted Mr. Chudakov.
Hortensia Jiménez Rivera, Executive General Director of Bolivia’s Nuclear Energy, told about the projects that are being implemented in the country with participation by Rosatom. One of the projects is a cyclotron complex that in 2023 started to deliver radiopharmaceuticals to Bolivian clinic networks. The complex is part of the Centre for Nuclear Research and Technologies, that also includes a research reactor that allows to produce radioisotopes. The project also provides for the Multipurpose Irradiation Centre that will be responsible for processing farm produce to increase food security. “You take a banana, that in normal life gets rotten within three weeks, subject it to gamma irradiation, and the banana will survive for three months instead”, commented Sergey Brilev, President of the Global Energy Association.
Alikaan Çiftçi, Head of the Nuclear Industry Association of Turkey, spoke about the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power station, that will become the first nuclear power station in the country’s history. “The Akkuyu nuclear power station will consist of four units of 1.2 GW each, and will be able to meet 10% of Turkey’s demand in electric power”, said Mr. Çiftçi. According to him, the $20-billion project has become the largest foreign investment in the Turkish economy and has already provided new jobs. At the peak of construction, the site will employ 26 thousand people, while after commissioning of the power station it will be operated by 4 thousand specialists. “The contribution of the project into the Turkish economy over the nuclear power station life cycle will amount to $50 billion, while annual reduction of greenhouse gases emission will amount to 18 million tons of CO2 equivalent, which is commeasurable with the annual amount of exhaust gas emission by 10 million cars”, stressed Mr. Çiftçi.
Chan-Chi-Txan, President of the Nuclear Power Institute of Vietnam, told about his country’s plans in the sphere of nuclear technologies. In mid-2010-s Vietnam abandoned the Ninh Thuận nuclear power station project, however nowadays the country considers a possibility of developing power generation to replace coal burning heat and power stations that currently account for 40% of the total electric power generation. In this context, the Nuclear Power Institute of Vietnam, established in 1999, is engaged in irradiation of foodstuffs and irradiation sterilisation of medical products.
“The life-long dream of clean and unlimited energy that was driving the industry giants 70 years ago when constructing the first nuclear power station was not fulfilled”, noted Vladimir Shevchenko, Rector of the MEPhi National Nuclear Research Institute. Projects that can contribute to its fulfilment lie in the sphere of closed fuel cycle and thermonuclear generation, and are on the agenda of new generations of researchers, including those who will work on the Obninsk Tech site. “Hopefully, next year we will start full-fledged operation and Obninsk Tech will become the capital of nuclear and related education for the benefit of the development of the world nuclear community ad the whole mankind”, summarised Mr. Shevchenko.
