Yuri Kuznetsov, director of Department of Complex Projects of NIKIET

– It is cheaper to buy nuclear technologies than oil and gas

During the 51st IAEA General Conference Azerbaijan expressed wish to build a nuclear power plant. That country has vast resources of oil but it wants to save them for sale. As Mendeleyev said: it is better to sell oil than to burn it.

“Many countries are beginning to develop nuclear power engineering, because they don’t have mineral resource. It is cheaper to buy nuclear technologies than oil and gas.”

“Mineral resources are growing increasingly scarce. The prices are quickly rising. The threat of CO2 is looming large. All this is a serious argument in favor of nuclear energy.”

“Even the countries that have mineral resources in abundance, including Russia, cannot feel themselves absolutely protected from energy crisis. That’s why Russia has started to develop nuclear energy.”

“Today, the world is experiencing nuclear renaissance. The countries that have never thought of nuclear energy – Azerbaijan, Iran, UAE (they all have vast oil resources) — are not going to develop it. Even Northern Africa and South and Latin America are beginning to think about it. Some island states wish to have floating NPPs as they would give them not only energy but also fresh water.”

“No doubt that in the future more and more countries will start building NPPs, while those already having ones will strengthen and develop their resources.”