The conference was attended by delegations from 162 IAEA Member States at the level of ministers and heads of nuclear complexes. The Russian delegation was led by CEO of ROSATOM Sergey Kirienko. He addressed the conference participants at the plenary session.
Kirienko noted that nuclear power celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. “The Russian Federation continues active development of nuclear power industry. Within this one year we are approaching commissioning of three units domestically and one unit abroad, together with our Indian colleagues. The units built in Russia are Unit 3 of Rostov NPP, Unit 1 of Novovoronezh-2, and Unit 4 of Beloyarsk NPP with the new fast neutron reactor BN-800. We are currently conducting physical tests preceding power operation of this unit,” he said.
Dealing with the legacy
Sergey Kirienko specifically spoke on the theme of the nuclear legacy. He stated that in 2014 ROSATOM hoped to complete the legacy elimination program in Russia. The works include reprocessing of all spent nuclear fuel and disposal of all resulting waste, decommissioning of nuclear and radiation hazardous facilities, and rehabilitation of territories contaminated with radiation. The radwaste management principles adopted by the international community are enshrined in law in the Russian Federation, CEO of ROSATOM emphasized. Compulsory, safe and economically efficient disposal of waste has to protect the health of future generations.
Besides, the head of ROSATOM noted that recently Russia had shipped off Russia-made irradiated nuclear fuel from Hungary. “In August 2014 we, jointly with our colleagues from Hungary, successfully accomplished a technically complicated program of retrieval and transportation of SNF from Paks NPP,” he said. The repatriation of highly enriched uranium fuel from third countries to Russia has been carried out in frames of the Russia-U.S. program, which now covers 14 countries already.
Kirienko also mentioned that last year the Russia-U.S. HEU-LEU Program had been successfully completed. In frames of this program 500 tons of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium (HEU) were converted into fuel for NPP. This amount is equivalent to elimination of about 20,000 nuclear warheads. “Over the past 20 years the relations between the U.S. and the Russian Federation on the political level differed, but both parties performed their obligations in good faith,” he noted in this regard. The head of ROSATOM also underlined that the nuclear power development is to be taken very responsibly. It requires competent approach and governmental support, and does not tolerate political games. “Nuclear power cannot be locked within national borders. An optimal and the only acceptable environment for it is broad international cooperation under the leadership of the IAEA, which we have always supported and will keep supporting in the future,” he said.
In the international arena
Sergey Kirienko highlighted achievements of ROSATOM in the area of international cooperation. “The first concrete was cast on the construction site of the second stage of Tianwan NPP in China. Construction of the two-unit Belarus NPP was initiated. Russia won the tender for construction of the first NPP in Jordan. We are proudly and responsibly taking these manifestations of confidence.
In June, the first power unit of Kudankulam NPP in India was brought to full power. The second unit is being prepared for initial criticality. Intergovernmental agreements for construction of a two-unit NPP at Paks site have been signed with Hungary. Contractual documents for construction of Hanhikivi NPP in Finland have been endorsed. These units are of the most modern Generation III+ design, fully compliant with international standards and with very stringent requirements of the regulatory authorities of the host countries. Activities have been initiated at the Rooppur NPP site in Bangladesh, where the first in the country Russian-design two-unit power plant is being constructed,” he said, stressing that Russia considered important not only construction of the modern nuclear power plants, but also the development of nuclear infrastructure required for sustainable and safe implementation of national nuclear power programs.
Sergey Kirienko also stated that Russia was strictly fulfilling its obligations for fresh nuclear fuel supplies to Ukraine. “Safety and reliability of operation of nuclear facilities, including those constructed per our design abroad, is an overriding priority for the Russian Federation,” he said.
The corporation of innovations
In his address the CEO of ROSATOM stressed that Russia traditionally has paid great attention to fundamental and applied research as a necessary base for evolutionary and innovative development of nuclear technology. One of most important events of this year is development of a new type of extra-pure radiation-resistant steel grades for new VVER reactor designs. Their application guarantees more than 100 years of operation of Russia-designed reactors.
“We are consistently implementing an integrated program of transitioning to closed fuel cycle. Two technologies of fast neutron reactors are being developed in parallel – sodium-cooled and heavy metal-cooled. This project aimed to attain a qualitatively new level of development of nuclear industry is known as “PRORYV (Breakthrough)” project. Its purpose is to create a pilot nuclear power complex, where a single site will accommodate a nuclear power plant with advanced safety performance based on fast neutron reactor technology, nuclear fuel recycling and re-fabrication facilities without separation of actinides, and facilities for preparation of all types of radwaste for ultimate disposal without any disturbance to natural radioecological equilibrium,” Kirienko said.
A driver of growth
At the margins of the conference ROSATOM signed a number of important agreements. In particular, it signed Intergovernmental Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Industry with the Republic of South Africa. The document lays the basis of the large-scale nuclear power development program of South Africa based on the construction in the RSA of new nuclear power plants with Russian VVER reactors with total installed capacity of up to 9.6 GW (up to 8 NPP units). The signed Agreement, besides the actual joint NPP construction, provides for comprehensive collaboration in other areas of nuclear power industry, including construction of a Russian technology-based multipurpose research reactor, assistance in the development of South-African nuclear infrastructure, education of South-African nuclear specialists in Russian universities.
“I am convinced in cooperation with Russia, South Africa will gain all necessary competencies for the implementation of this large-scale national nuclear energy development program. ROSATOM sees to create in South Africa a full-scale nuclear cluster of a world leader’s level – from the front-end of nuclear fuel cycle up to engineering and power equipment manufacturing. In future this will allow to implement joint nuclear power projects in Africa and third countries. But from the very start this cooperation will be guided at providing the conditions for creation of thousands of new jobs and placing of a considerable order to local industrial enterprises worth at least 10 bln. dollars”, Rosatom’s CEO Sergey Kirienko noticed.
The Agreement opens the RSA access to Russian technologies, infrastructure, and financial resources and creates a sound platform for further joint successful work.
An engineer and investor
On the same day, at the 58th IAEA General Conference an agreement was signed on construction of a nuclear power plant in the province of Al Zarqa in Central Jordan. The document was signed by Dzhomart Aliev, CEO of Rusatom Overseas, and Khaled Toukan, Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC). The document sets obligations of the Parties for the first stage of the two-unit nuclear power plant construction project with total capacity of 2,000 MW. The project phase that has now started will result in a contract for nuclear power plant construction that is planned to be signed in 1.5-2 years, K. Toukan said.
According to the head of ROSATOM, the agreement implies contractual works, in particular, design of the water-cooling system, energy market analysis, site evaluation and environmental impact assessment (EIA). Kirienko also noted that the Government of Jordan made this project open for investors and ROSATOM was ready to participate. “We are ready to participate as an investor, not only as an engineering company. But we do not seek the controlling stake. It must be controlled by Jordan,” he said.
The popular atom
Also, ROSATOM signed the Memorandum of Intent with regard to the mutual understanding relating to the cooperation in the area of nuclear energy promotion with the National Atomic Company Kazatomprom. The document was executed by CEO of ROSATOM Sergey Kirienko and President of NAC Kazatomprom Nurlan Kapparov. The Russian and Kazakh companies intent to develop educational and tutorial materials, implement joint programs designed to encourage younger generation to receive college and university education for professions demanded in the area of nuclear power and industry.
An important point of the Memorandum is the agreement relating to the creation of information center on nuclear energy on the area of School Students’ Hall in Astana city. The center, which ROSATOM is planning to open next year, will become 23rd in the network of information centers and the 6th center opened abroad.
To bolster the cooperation
Besides, ROSATOM and the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology signed the Memorandum of Cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy. The document serves to activate the cooperation in the sphere of the peaceful use of atomic energy between the two countries and contains specific proposals on organizing and implementing this work. The parties are interested in developing the cooperation in the following areas: fundamental and applied research, radioisotopes, nuclear safety, physical and radiation protection, nuclear fuel cycle services, radioactive waste management, education, training and advanced training of administrative, scientific and engineering personnel. The Kingdom of Thailand expressed interest in setting up a joint working group to define specific joint projects that facilitate implementation of Thailand’s plans of building up nuclear power in the Kingdom of Thailand.
Safety and security come first
Sergey Kirienko held a series of working meetings in Vienna. In particular, he had a meeting with he had a meeting with Argentina’s Minister of Federal Planning Julio de Vido. The meeting confirmed the intention to further strengthen the cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy and to implement initiatives built-in the agreement signed by Russia and Argentina in July. On his part, Kirienko termed the expansion of nuclear cooperation between Russia and Argentina a strategic task, by this having confirmed Russia’s interest in taking active part in future tender for building Argentina’s fifth NPP.
The meeting with U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz confirmed that the U.S. does not refuse to cooperate with Russia on nuclear security as well as in nuclear power and research.
“We all understand, there is a substantial strain in relations [between Russia and USA] at the moment, for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, on case by case basis we continue to cooperate with Russia on those areas of nuclear security concern,” Moniz said, mentioning the cooperation in HEU removal. “Regard to science and energy projects that are not in that category – again we don’t give any blanket across the board, you know, rejection,” the U.S. Secretary of Energy said. According to Moniz, the USA will define the cooperation with Russia depending on “how the issues in Ukraine are resolved.”
