ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES

The growth in energy consumption in the world, coupled with the limited supply of fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal), brings the development of alternative energy to the foreground. Although projects on the use of wind and solar energy, as well as biofuels have been actively developing in recent decades, their share is still scanty. The energy of the atom and water is of great importance. And if in the latter case, much depends on natural conditions, i.e. the presence of large rivers in the country, nuclear power plants can be built almost anywhere.

Today, 30 countries of the world operate 435 nuclear power reactors and 15 other countries are building 72 reactors. In 2013, nuclear power plants produced 2,359 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, which accounted for less than 11 per cent of global electricity generation. The share of renewable energy continues to increase, but the world still prefers organic fuel.

According to the International Energy Agency, the main increase in nuclear capacity is to be expected in China, India, Korea and Russia. The share of electricity generation at nuclear power plants in world energy will increase by only 1 point - up to 12 per cent by 2040 in comparison with the present time. In fact, the "bright future", which is dominated by electricity from nuclear and renewable generation, is hiding behind the horizon of several decades again.

The chairman of the JSC National Centre for Nuclear Research, Adil Qaribov, believes that the industrial sector of Azerbaijan demonstrates high rates of growth in parallel with which demand for energy sources is increasing. Moreover, alternative energy sources are not capable of meeting this demand like nuclear technology does.

Prospects for the development of nuclear power in Azerbaijan and the challenges that lie ahead in the future are defined in the 8 May 2014 decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the establishment of the JSC National Centre for Nuclear Research at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Communications and High Technology.

"Our task is not to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) as soon as possible. Azerbaijan is rich in hydrocarbon resources, and today the construction of nuclear power plants is not a short-term task for us. The work that is currently under way is the foundation that is laid for the future. Speaking specifically about the timing of the construction of nuclear power plants in Azerbaijan, it will take years, probably 20-30 years, and maybe more," Qaribov said.

To achieve these objectives it is necessary to master nuclear technology and, last but not least, build up human resources capacity. Azerbaijan does not intend to use the old generation of reactors, as obsolete technology is used for the production of most of them, the chairman of the company believes, and it is not provided with a high level of security.

"We will be ready to consider this issue and prepare our own proposals if reactors of the fourth generation are mass produced. As for the capacity of the NPP that will be built in Azerbaijan in the future, it will be no less than 1,000 megawatts, as the construction of a nuclear power plant with low capacity is not profitable from an economic point of view," Qaribov said.

In spite of the existing differences, nuclear energy has a number of advantages compared with other types of energy. The advantage of NPPs over other types of power plants is that their operation requires a small amount of fuel and they are environmentally friendly in contrast, for example, to thermal power plants.

The production of a certain amount of energy requires considerably less uranium than coal, oil or gas, which reduces the cost of the generation of the same amount of energy. Uranium is also cheaper to buy and transport, which further reduces the cost of electricity. Nuclear power does not emit greenhouse gases. Nuclear fission chambers are cooled by water, which is then converted into steam used to power turbines. The average life of a nuclear power plant is 40 years.

Following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the issue of the safety of reactors became topical, and many countries began to restrict the development of nuclear energy. But the development of science and technology, of course, will affect the safety of the reactors of the future. In this regard, the need to close nuclear power plants whose service life has long expired, including the Metsamor NPP in Armenia, is becoming more topical. Built in the 1970s, the Metsamor nuclear power plant has long been considered obsolete and is a threat to the entire region. A number of international organizations have repeatedly pointed out the need to close the nuclear power plant, while the EU has even proposed allocating 200m euros for this work. However, Armenia intends to extend the operation of the plant for another 10 years - until 2026.

"In the event of an accident, Armenia is unable to eliminate it in a short period of time, and the problem can gain a global scale. The explosion of 20 tonnes of nuclear materials can become an environmental disaster for the region," Qaribov said.

On the issue of nuclear science, technology development and capacity building, Qaribov said that Azerbaijan plans to build a research reactor with a capacity of 20 megawatts. In addition to the research reactor, a two-kilowatt training reactor will also be used.

This is an important component in the development of human resources. For example, in this issue, in addition to the experience of leading nuclear powers, Azerbaijan intends to use its internal resources.

It is planned to develop the resulting experience through educational institutions in order not to experience shortages of personnel in the future on the example of neighbouring Iran and Armenia, which are using Russian specialists to operate nuclear power plants.

According to Qaribov, the building of research and training reactors can be completed by 2020. Azerbaijan has already appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for permission for their construction.

Research reactors are used for basic research in the field of nuclear energy and medicine, for the production of radioactive isotopes, etc. They differ from commercial nuclear reactors, even though many of them were intended for research into new designs of nuclear reactors and were prototypes of currently existing designs.

With regard to the safety of research reactors, according to Qaribov, no incidents have ever been reported at them. There are more than 600 research reactors in the world, and 90 per cent of them are located in universities and academic parks.

Some 15 hectares of land have been allocated for the construction of research and training reactors, and office buildings, a DATA centre and other infrastructure for scientific work will also be located there.

The computing power of the DATA centre will be used to handle the information flow of the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN). Its capacity will be expanded in stages, which will make it possible to carry out volume calculations, and the resources will be available to physicists and other scientists working in the field of nuclear energy.

The main driving force for the development of nuclear energy is guaranteed energy supplies, response to climate change and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear energy is considered as an excellent alternative to fossil fuels, as well as an important tool for a major cut in greenhouse gases.

In addition to guaranteeing energy supplies, nuclear energy has a significant stimulating effect on the overall industrial level of a state. World nuclear powers are undoubtedly industrialized countries. The development of nuclear energy requires huge investment and high technology, which shows the complex power and strategic capabilities of a state. To some extent, the presence of advanced nuclear power industry means the entry of Azerbaijan into the club of world powers in the future.