The participants noted that barriers to the development of nuclear power generation need to be brought down for the sake of the future of humankind
One of the key topics of the 13th ATOMEXPO 2024 International Forum, held at Sirius University of Science and Technology, was the clean energy generation of the future, an essential part of which are generation IV reactor technologies.
As ROSATOM leads in the practical implementation of gen IV projects, ATOMEXPO 2024 opening was followed by a live broadcast from the city of Seversk in the Tomsk Region, where a generating facility test-commissioned a carbothermal synthesis line for a module producing innovative nuclear fuel for the BREST-OD-300 IV-gen reactor.
The Forum’s plenary session focused on the global development of nuclear energy generation, its topic formulated as ‘Clean energy: creating the future together.’ The participants included Deputy Head of IAEA Mikhail Chudakov, ROSATOM’s Director General Alexey Likhachev, and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó.
“We have to add 40 GW annually if we are to substitute carbon fuel by 2050. According to the IAEA forecasts, by 2050 nuclear generation will grow 2.5 times, but that is the same 9% in the global power mix. Political differences impede the development of nuclear energy generation, without which we cannot attain the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Mikhail Chudakov.
“By 2030, Europe’s demand for electric power will grow 50%. So the question is, how do we meet it in an inexpensive, safe, secure, and environmentally friendly way. There is only one answer: nuclear power. Hungary is an illustration of this. Without nuclear cooperation between Europe and Russia, we will further undermine our competitiveness. We will not be able to reach the Sustainable Development Goals,” commented Péter Szijjártó.
Alexey Likhachev noted, “In the next 20 years, Russia will build over 40 nuclear power generating units, bringing the share of nuclear generation in the national energy mix to 25%. In 2050s–2060s, hopefully, we will go on to increase this share to a third in the second part of the century. In terms of qualitative transformations, our goal is to transition from gen III+ to gen IV. The scale of units will be diversified: there will be mid- and small-scale units as well as large ones. And clearly, by the end of the 2050s we will have thermonuclear fusion.”
He went on to add, “To reach these milestones, we need to overcome the political division of nuclear power into the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ one, have an open professional dialogue, and use a comprehensive approach to nuclear projects. It is essential that the members of the global nuclear family, including the 75 countries represented here at ATOMEXPO, are doing everything to make nuclear knowledge and technologies available to all.”
The discussion was also joined by Director General of the World Nuclear Association (WNA) Sama Bilbao y León, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Türkiye Dr. Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Belarus Viktor Karankevich, Serbian Minister of Health Dr Danica Grujičić, Special Representative of the Russian President for Digital Development Dmitry Peskov, Chairman and Member of the Board of DP World Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and Member of the Board of Kazatomprom Meirzhan Yussupov, and Group CEO of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) Loyiso Tyabashe. The session was moderated by journalist, TV host, and President of the Global Energy Association Sergey Brilev.
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The International Forum ATOMEXPO is one of the main congress and exhibition events of the global nuclear industry, organized with the support of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom (Rosatom). The Forum has been held since 2009. It is the largest business and exhibition platform, where captains of leading industry companies and leading experts address the challenges of nuclear technology development, strengthen partnerships and share best practices. The Forum format includes an exhibition and an extensive business program, the main topics of which are traditionally the development of nuclear energy as an environmentally friendly energy source; human capital management; building nuclear energy infrastructure; financing and investment in the energy sector; development of non-energy nuclear technologies and many others. The Forum traditionally features such events as inking cooperation agreements between Russian companies and foreign partners. To demonstrate ROSATOM's commitment to the climate agenda, the carbon footprint of the 13th ATOMEXPO 2024 International Forum will be offset based on special certificates.