Nuclear energy is able not only to strengthen the Asian energy security, but may actually help the region’s nations to reach a new level of development, said Egor Simonov, Director of Rosatom Asia, a regional office of Rosatom Corporation for Southeast Asia.
“The construction of nuclear power plants can give a boost for the whole branches of economy – the nuclear industry contributes to the creation of new jobs, prosperity of engineering, R&D and education,” he added. He was speaking at the plenary session of the 7th Nuclear Power Asia 2016 conference, which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 20-12 January 2016.
The forum brought together the leaders of the Asian nuclear power industry.
He said: “Among the prerequisites of the regional nuclear industry development is a contradiction: On the one hand, electricity demand is growing significantly, on the other hand, governments keep introducing tougher emissions standards”, he added.
He cited the example of Indonesia, which aims at reducing CO2 Emission by 30% by 2030 while adding 35 GW generation as early as 2019.
The forum attracted high-level speakers, including Dr. Djarot Wisnubroto, Chairman of the National Nuclear Energy of Indonesia (BATAN), Dr. Mohd Zamzam Bin Jaafar, CEO of Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation, and Lakshitha Jawardhana, Chairman of Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board (SLAEB).
Session participants concurred that, in order to keep the current industrial growth Asian countries, particularly Asean countries, there is a need to diversify energy mix and consider nuclear power plants as an economically and environmentally viable source of baseboard electricity generation.
Simonov added: “According to the recent public opinion surveys in Indonesia, about 75 per cent of population support the development of nuclear industry in the country. In this regard, the peaceful atom has the chances to be a part of the ambitious Indonesian program to commission new generation capacities”, said Simonov.
Discussing about Rosatom’s presence in Asia, he said that the Russian design nuclear power reactors are operating in China and India, with the construction of more reactors underway. Besides, nuclear new build projects are implemented in Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Rosatom provides a comprehensive support to these newcomer countries in the development of the national nuclear infrastructure. The company also supplies nuclear fuel cycle products and services in Japan and South Korea.
A presentation on the high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR) and their prospects in Asia was delivered by Nikolay Kodochigov, Chief Designer of HTGR at OKBM Afrikantov, a Rosatom Corporation subsidiary.
Furthermore, the Russian speakers also shared Rosatom’s experience in the areas of nuclear technologies public acceptance and human resource development in nuclear industry.
The Nuclear Power Asia conference is a key platform that discusses the latest challenges, trends, and achievements in the Asian nuclear industry. The event is annually attended by more than 300 participants from nuclear energy authorities, energy commissions, NEPIOs, international developers & operators, technology suppliers, and academic society.
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