Сonstruction of nuclear power plant a high-tech process entailing development of many industries – experts and public of Semey have a say
The city of Semey hosted public discussions on plans to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan. The speakers presented plans for the country's nuclear energy development and discussed safety, environmental friendliness, and economic efficiency of NPP construction. Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports on the details, citing the Ministry of Energy.
Building, water, and waste disposal financing, as well as plant service specialists, were prioritized. Experts highlighted that ‘the considerable costs of building an NPP are offset by the low cost of its operation,’ and NPP power costs 2 to 12 cents per kWh depending on the country.
Experts put to rest the nuclear power plant water consumption myths. The NPP said "if the NPP uses water from Lake Balkhash for cooling, the consumption will not exceed 63 million m3 per year—this is 0.3% of the natural evaporation of water from the surface of the lake." Additionally, reactor circuits circulate water to keep it from escaping.
A 1200 MW reactor generates 50–60 m3 of radioactive waste annually, according to experts. Modern technologies provide secure waste management, unlike renewable energy sources (RES) equipment, which often neglects disposal. Nuclear fuel is not waste because it can be processed into higher-energy fuel.
Nikolay Isaev, a member of the Abay Region Public Council, supported the construction of the NPP: "They [the USA and France] all said that the benefits of nuclear power plants are much greater than the harm, if there is any. Now in Japan, they are launching 17 units, including 2 new ones. If you look at safety, then generation III and III+ stations are almost completely safe. In terms of environmental pollution, even solar panels emit harmful substances. Before our eyes is the example of Germany, which completely abandoned its nuclear power plants, and its economic growth rates have significantly decreased. Even Poland, which was an ardent opponent of the construction of nuclear power plants, has now revised its position."
It is noteworthy to mention that Kazinform News Agency previously discussed in detail the international successes of NPP energy production, highlighting its benefits, in an article.
Erlan Batyrbekov, General Director of the National Nuclear Center, stated: "The construction of a nuclear power plant is, of course, a high-tech process that will entail the development of many industries. The multiplier effect of construction will definitely be for science itself, industry, and personnel training. There will be no harm from the nuclear power plant since today it is proposed to build a reactor of generation III and III+. These reactors are equipped with modern levels of safety, active and passive. In the event of the reactor going out of normal condition, the safety system will return it to the optimal operating mode.”
Rafael Khazipov, a member of the NGO "Polygon 21 Committee," emphasized that "I am for building a nuclear power plant. Firstly, we are among the world leaders in uranium production. We sell it to many countries around the world and this fuel works. The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site operated for more than 40 years, causing irreparable damage to the region. But we have received science, we have the city of Kurchatov and the National Nuclear Center, where specialists deal with such issues. There is no need to be afraid of nuclear power plants. There were nuclear tests, we passed them. A nuclear power plant is not a test, it is a high-tech process that is used all over the world. Hundreds of nuclear power plants are operating. And continuing to use solid fuel is already archaic."
Since the NPP will use reactors of generations III and III+, the experts stressed that the technologies being evaluated are safe. This reactor meets all safety standards and improves environmental indicators. The NPP has no radiation background and emits less CO2 compared to thermal power plants. Additional benefits for the nuclear power plant construction in Kazakhstan were discussed in an interview with the general director of the “Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants” company, Timur Zhantikin.
Kazakhstan is awaiting the upcoming nationwide nuclear power referendum, which will determine the final decision on the country's nuclear energy future, as previously stated by Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.