Nuclear
Energy
Momentum
Panel Summaries, St. Petersburg
Ministerial Conference.
This article provides summaries of four
Panel Sessions during the International
Ministerial Conference, Nuclear Power
in the 21st Century, which was held in
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, June
27 to 29, 2013. Newal Agnihotri, Editor,
Nuclear Plant Journal attended the
conference.
This conference was attended by
ministers, high-ranking officials
and experts from 87 countries and 7
international organizations, with over
500 participants. This conference was
organized by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation
with the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
of the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD)
and hosted by the Government of
the Russian Federation through the
State Atomic Energy Corporation
“ROSATOM”.
The aim of the Conference was to
provide an opportunity to discuss and
review the status and prospects for
nuclear power, and to offer a forum for
many countries considering the potential
benefits of adding or expanding nuclear
power in the energy mix.
The participants exchanged views on
the future role of nuclear power through
national statements, presentations,
discussions and consultations. The four
panel sessions included in this article
discussed:
1. Energy and the Environment
2. Nuclear Safety and Reliability
through International Cooperation
3. Infrastructure, Technology and
Institutional Development - The Way
Forward
4. Drivers for Deployment of
Sustainable and Innovative
Technology
1. Energy and the
Environment
Policy makers face critical choices
in reconciling energy, environmental &
economic objectives. At the centre are
country relevant solutions to the energy-
trilemma, i.e., energy security, economic
competitiveness and climate change
mitigation. This energy-trilemma is
compounded in developing countries by
rapid growth in energy demand.
Changing outlook for energy supply
especially shale oil and gas may change
energy pricing, economic competitiveness
& geopolitical balances.
No one size fits all - the optimal
energy mix and the role of nuclear power
are determined by local conditions - there
is no silver bullet to reconcile energy
and environmental conflicts. Shifting
away from or towards nuclear can have
significant implications for a country’s
energy security, electricity prices &
climate change objectives. In a resource
constrained world, nuclear can be an
attractive option.
Nigeria currently grapples with the
problemofgeneratingsufficientelectricity
to meet the needs of its large population
and drive its economic development
aspirations. The country is preparing
for the introduction of nuclear power to
provide reliable and cost-effective base
load electricity to fuel economic growth
and stepped-up energy security.
Poland’s long term energy policy
promotesenergyefficiencyimprovements,
the accelerated use of renewables, the
introduction of nuclear power and energy
market reform with the objectives to
enhance energy security and reduce the
environmental footprint of its power
industry. This is especially important
because Poland’s energy sector is heavily
dependent on coal and is committed to
meeting EU greenhouse gas emissions
reduction targets. Nuclear power has
among the lowest external costs second
only to wind and the largest low-cost
supply-side greenhouse gas reduction
potential of the country.
The delegate from Malaysia asked
whether there is a need for cross-border
consultations for a country to launch
a national nuclear power programme.
Ms Trojanowska responded that yes, Poland
consulted all ten neighboring countries
which helped improve the country’s
national justification for introducing the
technology.
The delegate from Benin asked
whether industrialized countries ought to
finance the nuclear option in developing
countries and Ghana asked whether
financial mechanisms under the Kyoto
Protocol could be used to help finance
nuclear power. The panellists responded
that revenues must cover costs, and
subsidies are a barrier to private sector
involvement. Regional partnerships
Credit: H-Holger Rogner.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria.
46
NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, July-August 2013
