For example, two events of recent days: on the one hand, the process of strengthening BRICS, marked by Azerbaijan’s submission of an application for membership in this group on the eve of the summit in Kazan in October 2024. On the other hand, almost at the same time, a strategy for the development of the Russian nuclear industry was unveiled, providing for the construction of new generation reactors.
But these two events are closely related. BRICS, moving from the status of a “forum” to a community of countries interested in sovereign development, begins to build around a project implemented in the real sector of the economy and providing for the reindustrialization of several regions. And industrialization is always an increase in energy consumption, without which any country or region will be constantly unstable. As the events of recent years in Pakistan and Bangladesh have proved.
Taking into account the sharp growth of the manufacturing industry in Russia itself, the question arises of revising many forecasts formed 15-20 years ago. The summer energy crisis in the south of Russia reminded us of this. The general layout of new energy capacities published for discussion reflects this new understanding. It contains Rosatom’s proposals – the need to build 37 new nuclear power units, including not only “replacement” capacities, but also 11 new nuclear power plants.
The new construction will be carried out taking into account the revealed imbalances and deficits in energy consumption. The development program includes not only standard-high-power reactors, but also medium and small ones. In particular, 4 medium-capacity power units in the land and floating versions are planned to be built in the Far East, which seems to be more than an optimal solution. However, with the development of the “peaceful atom”, the problem arises of increasing the efficiency of using raw materials for nuclear energy, primarily “energy” uranium.
Therefore, it is necessary to switch to new technologies. And it is very gratifying that this aspect is clearly outlined in the development strategy of the Rosatom State Corporation: not just an extensive expansion of the use of nuclear energy based on already fully developed nuclear power plant samples, but the desire for technological leadership and the formation of a new technological standard at the expense of new national, if you like, sovereign technologies. Yes, it is more difficult, but more promising, especially since there are technological reserves for a new generation of nuclear reactors.
The draft of the new general scheme for the development of nuclear energy includes the construction of nuclear power systems of the “fourth” generation. These are fast neutron reactors, which make it possible to expand the fuel base of nuclear energy by involving spent nuclear fuel in the fuel cycle and reducing stored radioactive waste. The testing of nuclear energy technology for “fast neutrons” has been underway in Russia for a long time, so it can be fully considered a reference.
Commissioning of power units with fast neutron reactors is expected at Beloyarsk, Reftinskaya, Krasnoyarsk and Yuzhnouralskaya nuclear power plants. The construction of a pilot complex of closed-loop nuclear energy technologies – an extremely important step in ensuring an even higher level of environmental cleanliness of nuclear energy – is already underway in the Tomsk region, in Seversk on the basis of the BREST-OD-300 reactor. This is a serious groundwork for scaling technologies that are significantly ahead of the world level.
Concluding the conversation, let’s return to the beginning: the reindustrialization of Russia and Greater Eurasia, the development of the North-South corridor creates a completely solid economic base for the development of nuclear energy on a new technological basis, if you want, a full-fledged demand. And for the long term.
@dimonundmir
