Leonid Bolshov, Director of Nuclear Safety Institute of RAS

– The key advantages of nuclear energy are profitability and ecological compatibility

The expert committee on the ecological situation in NPP zones of the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostekhandzor) has recognized that in 2008 the nuclear power plants of Russia were ecologically safe. The findings of the committee were publicized during a meeting concerning the ecological activities of the Russian nuclear power plants in 2008 and their tasks for 2009. The key tasks of the ecological services of Energoatom Concern for 2009–2010 are to obtain Rostekhnadzor’s radioactive waste treatment license and to create an efficiency ecological management system complying with ISO 14001 standards.

In the past years nuclear power plants have operated flawlessly with almost no impact on the environment.

I think that the key advantages of nuclear energy are profitability and ecological compatibility. Different countries have different priorities. In some states the key factor is reduction of CO2 emissions, in others – economic profit. The point is that nuclear power is the only alternative if a country really wants to reduce its CO2 emissions. Each GW of nuclear energy replaces several trucks of coal burned at thermal power plants and emitting lots of CO2.

It makes no sense talking about the safety of a nuclear power plant: under normal operating conditions, it is absolutely safe. There are two main reasons why people think that it is not. First, a nuclear accident is a potential source of heavy radioactive contamination. People need time to change their attitude and to overcome their fears. As many as 20 years have passed since Chernobyl: so, we have already a 20-year record of accident-free operation. Second is the attitude to radioactive waste treatment. In 2007 we adopted a federal target program “Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Russia” and drafted a law on treatment of radioactive waste, which stipulates burial of radioactive waste of all types, i.e. creation of a complex system of radioactive waste disposal. Before that we just said that we had something to do with nuclear waste. But people still can’t believe the experts who assure that this problem can be easily solved. Besides, we have yet to harmonize our standards with the international ones: today, our national rules are too tough – much tougher than to other technologies. Sometimes excessive toughness is not good.

I can say that our automatic radiation control system is unique. France has something like that. But in Russia any person can visit a web-site and to familiarize himself with the radiation situation near any of the local NPPs.

Note

Automatic radiation control system is meant for continuous control of radiation and meteorological situation near nuclear power plants. Each facility also has sensors (some of them have dozens of sensors) providing information on real-time basis. Any person having access to the internet can follow online the dynamics of the radiation background at any of the monitored facilities on www.russianatom.ru.