Promoting nuclear energy jointly with CA countries will boost innovative development, says expert

nuclear
Photo: Kazinform

Such an opinion was voiced by Chairman of the Kazakhstan Association of Energy Saving Organizations Sergey Agafonov, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hosted the international scientific and practical conference discussing promotion of nuclear energy: difficulties and opportunities. The event was joined by global experts, representatives of the World Nuclear Association, the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The issues hindering the development of nuclear energy, ways to solve them were under discussion. In their reports, Uzbek experts highlighted the importance of joint work between the region’s countries in this direction.

Kazakhstani expert Sergey Agafonov also believes that the way to promote nuclear energy is through cooperation among the countries of the region.

Nuclear energy is not a single country sector. Therefore, there needs to be cooperation and joint work of the region’s countries in this direction. That’s because integration will boost innovative development of the sector. In this regard, there is the opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. For instance, our country is a global uranium production leader, and our countries could complement each other when it comes to resources, said Agafonov.

The Kazakhstani expert noted gas-fired power plants generate 80% of electricity in Uzbekistan, while coal-fired power plants are responsible for 70% of Kazakhstan’s total electricity generation.

Kazakhstan seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, which is impossible without using nuclear energy, said Agafonov. ‘I support renewable energy promotion. However, renewable energy sources fail to deliver stable electricity’. He highlighted that there is no alternative to nuclear energy.

According to him, Kazakhstan spends annually 60 billion tenge, as the country has been facing the shortage of electricity for the past two years. Last fall and winter, Kazakhstan purchased 2.5 GW of electricity to cover its electricity shortage.

Construction of a nuclear power plant will take 10-12 years. The average capacity will be 2.4GW. The country’s electricity consumption grows with every passing year. That’s why, thermal power plants will continue to operate. For instance, three thermal power plants are to be built. The construction of a nuclear power plant should be considered as the first step in this direction, said the Kazakhstani expert, pointing out that the country needs at least three nuclear power plants to meet its electricity demand.

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