PEACEFUL ATOM

Over the past years, Azerbaijan has managed to implement fundamental changes in the power sector. Having brought the generating capacity of its power generation system to 7,105 MW, the country has become a net exporter of electricity for the sixth year in a row. However, the factor of depletion of hydrocarbons weighs upon all nations of the world including resource-rich Azerbaijan. This fact has prompted the government to step up implementation of technologies for the development of alternative energy sources. To this end, the country will soon establish a Nuclear Research Centre and build a research reactor.

A measure of necessity

A modern civilisation is inconceivable without electric power the consumption of which is growing with every year. And humankind may soon be faced with an imminent energy deficit due to the depletion of hydrocarbon deposits and the threat of ever increasing environmental losses during their extraction. Of course, hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) and the use of solar, wind or hot-spring energy can be a real alternative to gas, coal or fuel oil. However, the lack of affluent rivers capable of generating the required amount of energy hampers the widespread introduction of HPPs in many regions of the world. As for the wind turbines, solar power plants (SPPs) and other alternative energy sources, their relatively low output, dependence on seasonal factors and high cost of production do not allow them to satisfy the continually growing need of mankind in cheap electricity.

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) are currently the only universal alternative to classical combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Peaceful use of nuclear power on a massive scale commenced in the 1970s, with the beginning of the energy crisis caused by the policies of the OPEC countries which increased oil prices fourfold. Though the nuclear industry has achieved a relatively high level of development over the past four decades, the share of NPPs in the total power production is low - about 17 per cent of the global electricity generation. The leaders in this field are France, the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Russia. In particular, up to 80 per cent of all energy produced in France originates from NPPs.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that the attitude towards this source of energy is rather dubious. It has shifted from highly optimistic expectations for projects of the 1960s and 1970s, which provided for a universal use of uranium fuel for electricity generation, to just as pessimistic feelings after the accident at the Chernobyl NPP and the recent catastrophe in Fukushima.

However, even after the recent large-scale disaster in Japan, which caused massive "anti-nuclear" sentiments in the world, nuclear power industry development projects have not been frozen in the developing countries. The Bushehr NPP has recently been commissioned in Iran, and the next year will see the beginning of construction of the Akkuyu NPP in Mersin Province, Turkey - the first nuclear power plant in the country. The construction of a nuclear reactor according to the Russian-designed NPP-2006 project is in full swing in Astravets, Belarus. Russian specialists are also building an NPP in Kudankulam, India. Another nuclear power plant will soon be constructed in the city of Kurchatov, situated in the eastern part of Kazakhstan, to the east of the Caspian Sea.

The reliance of the developing countries on nuclear power engineering is fully justified. Experts estimate that coal, oil and, to some extent, gas will continue to be used to provide for energy needs for a maximum of 50 years, and this is assuming that hydrocarbon prices will not increase two- or threefold in the near future. But already now the electricity generated by NPPs is cheaper by 10-15 per cent than that produced from oil and gas; furthermore, there are no harmful emissions or greenhouse effect as the result of operation of nuclear power plants.

A 40-year-old purpose

It is noteworthy that the possibility of peaceful use of nuclear power for electricity generation and research purposes has carefully been studied in Azerbaijan for a long time. The idea of building a nuclear power facility in our country was first promulgated in the mid-1970s, at the times of the former USSR. And already in 1980, near the settlement of Navai located 90 km to the south-east of Baku, the laying of the foundation began for the construction of a nuclear power plant with a design capacity of about 1,000 MW. The place was selected on the basis of industrial capacity-building plans for the southern region of Azerbaijan, but primarily on the estimates of Soviet researchers which showed that the site for the would-be NPP was located within a favourable seismic zone. Subsequently, the implementation of this project was somewhat delayed, and after the Chernobyl accident, it was frozen completely.

After gaining independence, the government of Azerbaijan has determined the construction of large CHP and modular power plants to be a key vector of development of the domestic electric power industry. This choice is fully justified, since the availability of vast reserves of natural gas in the country can provide such CHPPs with fuel for decades to come. Another strategic direction is the development of hydropower including the construction of small barrage and diversion power plants. The country has also launched a number of projects in the field of solar and wind energy in recent years. However, even if we make use of all of the available alternative energy sources, this sector can provide not more than 20 per cent of the total electricity generation in the foreseeable future.

Again, taking into account the finite nature of hydrocarbon reserves, NPPs can be regarded as a viable alternative to classic CHPPs in the long term. Of course, this applies to a relatively distant prospect. However, the country's leadership is already prepared to invest a lot of money in the formation of technological, research and human capacity, thus creating preconditions for the future development of nuclear technology.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's order to establish the Closed Joint Stock Company "National Nuclear Research Centre" under the Ministry of Communications and High Technologies (MCHT) was a significant step in this direction. The Centre is intended to promote the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in industry, agriculture, medicine, etc., as well as the formation of the basis for the creation of the nuclear power industry in the country. As stated in the preamble to the order of the head of state, "Indeed, a good deal of work related to nuclear technology has been done in the country, and scientists involved in nuclear research have participated in various projects in cooperation with international organisations and accumulated valuable experience. However, the research conducted heretofore was purely scientific and theoretical in nature, as the inadequate material-and-technical base and the absence of a nuclear research reactor did not allow for studies aimed at assessing the potential of the country's existing nuclear raw materials in accordance with modern requirements. At the same time, implementation of comprehensive measures in the field of nuclear technology and nuclear power industry is of particular importance in ensuring continued sustainable development of the country."

Thus, the recent political decision conclusively identified the need to build the first nuclear research reactor in Azerbaijan. Within the next two months, the Cabinet of Ministers should approve the charter and structure of the CJSC, provide a building and the necessary material-and-technical base for the Centre and submit proposals for outfitting the Centre with a nuclear research reactor and other necessary equipment. Meanwhile, the MCHT and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) were instructed to sign off the property of the Institute of Radiation Problems to the Centre, promote the formation of the authorised capital of the CJSC and provide for the Centre's maintenance at the initial stage.

Expensive but safe

It should be noted that Azerbaijan's application for the construction of a nuclear research reactor was approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as far back as 2007. The Institute of Radiation Problems and the IAEA have since established close cooperation on the issues of economic and scientific studies and preparation of the nuclear reactor construction project. Thus, the financial support provided by the Agency has enabled the ANAS to arrange for training of 16 young nuclear physicists at the authoritative international research centres. In the opinion of Director of the Institute of Radiation Problems Adil Qaribov, the construction of a research reactor will require about 6-7 years and will cost about 200-250m euros.

Similar research projects around the world are very costly; moreover, they are not designed for direct payback. However, the activity of the National Nuclear Research Centre will allow the state to save a lot of money in future. For example, a research reactor may help establish the production of isotopes used in medical diagnostics, oil and gas exploration or solar inverter manufacture. All relevant items are now imported from third countries. The construction of the reactor will certainly make an invaluable contribution to the study of the potential of uranium deposits in the country, and subsequently, should a decision on the construction of an NPP be adopted, will help conducting research in the field of nuclear fuel cycle.

The issue of safety is one of the most important aspects associated with the construction of the research reactor. Here, there is no reason to worry too: unlike with fully-featured NPPs, the capacity of nuclear research reactors is relatively low - tens of megawatts on average. Such reactors retain structural integrity even in the event of the most severe earthquakes measuring 11-12 points on the Richter scale, and the fuel split here is stored in special freezing units. Moreover, waste management is carried out by IAEA professionals. The number of accidents at such facilities not only is extremely low, but tends to zero; therefore it is not surprising that the nuclear research centres with low-power research reactors are located in major metropolitan areas such as Moscow, Paris, Munich, Istanbul, etc. Accordingly, it is expected that the prospective National Nuclear Research Centre will be located in the vicinity of Xirdalan, where about 15 hectares of land have already been allocated for the construction site.

The formation of the National Nuclear Research Centre in Azerbaijan has already attracted the attention of leading international specialised companies. Thus, the known nuclear equipment manufacturers in France, such as Areva and VINCI Construction Grands Projects, have offered their services in constructing a research reactor and equipping the Centre. To date, VINCI Construction Grands Projects, which implemented 47 projects in the field of nuclear technology, is one of the world's five largest companies in this area.

 It appears that work on creating a nuclear research centre will commence next year. "We intend to arrange for the construction of a nuclear reactor and resume nuclear research started during the Soviet era. It is possible that this project will be completed within the next three to four years," Minister of Communications and High Technologies Ali Abbasov said.

In a longer term, the issue of constructing a full-featured NPP in the country may well be placed on the agenda. It is noteworthy that as far back as 2007, specialists of the Institute of Radiation Problems developed a package of proposals on the possibility of building a 1,500-MW nuclear power plant in the country with the estimated budget of 2-3bn US dollars (in terms of prices that were in effect seven years ago).

Admittedly, the implementation of such a project is preceded by a large-scale economic and geopolitical assessment and equally comprehensive geological, seismic and environmental studies to ensure the safety and financial viability of NPP construction. Finally, we are to solve the most complex issue: where and on what terms to buy nuclear fuel and dispose of radioactive waste so that Azerbaijan would continue to maintain its energy independence. Despite all the above challenges, the idea of using nuclear technology to produce cheap electricity is going to be valid in the foreseeable future for both Azerbaijan and other countries of the world.