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Accident risk or nuclear generating cost? The prime dilemma when constructing an NPP.

On 3rd of April, a construction of nuclear power plant “ Akkuyu” began in Turkey; its first unit to be launched in 2023. It is expected that NPP, which will be constructed by Russian specialists, will satisfy the country’s demand for electricity by 10%. As the Turkish president Recep Erdoğan pointed out, this will improve energy security of the Republic and will make it possible to establish the country in the top ten most advanced economies of the world.

“Nuclear power plant, which does not emit CO2, generates clear, ecologically friendly energy. That is why this NPP will make considerable contribution to our energy security. It will also play a significant role in controlling climate change,” Erdoğan said.

Not everybody across the globe shares this view. For example, about 7 years ago the German government announced that by 2022 it plans to fully phase out nuclear power. The decision was made in relation to an accident at Fukushima NPP. The accident resulted in boosting growth of renewable sources such as energy-windmills and solar cells providing, as well as increased demand of gas purchasing from Russia.

Just few other nations are, perhaps, ready to follow Germany in giving up nuclear power. Today 450 power plants are in operation in 31 countries and 55 new units are under construction. “Akkuyu” has become #56. According to the forecasts, annual growth of nuclear generation will increase by 2,3 % up till 2040.

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The challenge of waste burial

An important factor providing such growth will be the introduction of new technologies which will considerably improve nuclear operations safety and solve one of the most pressing problems of the industry – the necessity to utilize and store radioactive waste.

“It is possible to generate more power from the proven reserves of uranium than from oil, gas and coal together. But we use open nuclear fuel cycle and due to this we face the challenge of cost-intensive storage of the so called “spent fuel” which contains almost as much usable material as was processed in the reactor; and don’t forget the issue of handling nuclear waste. The solutions to these problems are known. It is necessary to build fast neutron reactors with high flux neutrons instead of reactors with thermal neutron fission. In addition, the so-called “spent” nuclear fuel must be cleared of fusion products while the isotopes of uranium, plutonium and actinides must be fed back to the reactor. This type of nuclear fuel cycle is called a closed cycle”- says Valeriy Yazev, the President of non-commercial partnership “Russian miners”.

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Aleksandr Lokshin, Deputy General Director of “Rosatom” Corporation, agrees. He thinks that the future of nuclear power is in the so-called bi-fuel systems in which fast neutron reactors will be used in conjunction with conventional thermal reactors.

The “Rosatom” representative stated, “Russia is the only country in the world which has industry experience of operating such reactors. The use of conventional thermal plants and fast neutron reactors makes it possible to close the fuel cycle and continuously refeed spent nuclear fuel into it. Factually, this converts nuclear power into renewable energy, makes its resource base inexhaustible, and eventually relieves the challenge of waste burial”.

Accident risk or nuclear generating cost?

Experts state that transition to the closed fuel cycle using fast neutron reactors will make it possible to solve one more important problem which is cost reduction of generated power. In this case the total power of all NPPs may be increased several-fold, hence, decreasing the share of energy generation by coal-fired plants, which are most damaging to the environment.

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The international community has been working out new measures for improving safety of nuclear plants after each NPP accident. The plants are constantly modernized and built according to new projects. New plants are more environmentally safe but more expensive. If this tendency is set to continue then the dilemma “accident risk or generating cost” will become the Gordian knot. Is it possible to untangle the deadlock? And how can it be done? The answer is by means of fast neutron reactors with “inherent safety”, Valeriy Yazev continues.

Chairman of the State Duma Energy Committee, Pavel Zavalniy, believes the necessity of NPPs’ performance enhancement due to decreasing construction expenses while meeting all of security standards is one of the primary challenges facing the industry.

“We are in need of competitive advantage of nuclear energy as this is one of the major factors of ensuring energy security for the state. In the immediate future we must come to the economic competitiveness of new series-produced NPPs in comparison to thermal power through the reduction in specific costs for their construction. This will let us cut down federal budget expenditures maintaining the priority of safety issues at the same time. I am sure the task is within the power of “Rosatom”. Meanwhile we, law-makers, will work on providing such legal regulation which will contribute to addressing the challenge”, Zavalniy states.

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What’s next for Russian nuclear power generation industry

Today nuclear power share in energy balance of Russia constitutes 18,9 %. It is maintained by 35 nuclear reactors while two more are under a trial run and seven new units are under construction. Moreover, “Rosenergoatom” planns to construct 13 new reactors and prolong exploitation of 11 operating NPPs by 2024. This will make it possible to increase power generation by 10 %.

As Valeriy Yazev notes, one of the most interesting ongoing projects in Russia is the construction of lead-cooled fast reactor “BREST-300” in town of Seversk outside Tomsk. It is claimed to be the safest reactor in history of atomic engineering. Its commercial version “BREST-1200” is evaluated to be very economically efficient due to minimization of construction expense. The reactor will “burn” all nuclear material which includes intense-radiation and long-life radioactive waste. To secure high-level safety there will be no need in alternate systems.

Experimental technological complex for fuel cycle closure is constructed in Seversk simultaneously with the reactor “BREST-300”. Spent nuclear fuel will be processed in it and will be fed into the reactor again. In the process of regenerating plutonium-239 will remain in the mixture of isotopes and consequently will not be available to use for military purposes. Whereas actinides, that are the major challenge when handling radioactive waste, will go back to the reactor and will once again start to generate energy. Only short-lived radioactive isotopes will be left, that is why there will be less waste and it will be less hazardous.

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“Nuclear industry using closed nuclear fuel cycle will make it possible to increase useful nuclear raw materials reserves by ten times, that will meet the demand for it for centuries (optimists say that it will be enough for thousands of years). The issue concerning long-life radioactive waste will be worked out. Safety issue will be also settled, at least, in understanding of secure confinement of accidents and sabotage inside the reactor building. Then it will be possible to speak about a real breakthrough in energy industry. “By the way, this program is precisely entitled ‘Breakthrough’ ”, Valeriy Yazev sums up.

There is no doubt that Russia will continue active construction of NPPs. Although, not exclusively on its own territory but outside the country as well. Today 33 nuclear power plants are being constructed by “Rosatom” abroad: in Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Turkey, Egypt, India, Iran and in many other countries of the world. Introduction of new technologies will allow to enlarge the portfolio of contracts while enhancing trust in domestic specialists’ work in the field of peaceful nuclear development.