Why it is so important for Sri Lanka to use Russian Nuclear Power Technology? Will this be a new era?

Nuclear energy has been a topic which used to discuss by lots of countries during the last century. Specially countries like USA, UK, France Germany and Russia tried to create methods to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. One of the successful outcomes was the power generating using nuclear energy. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 449 nuclear power units with a total electrical capacity of 398.8 GW are currently operating in the world. 52 NPP power units with a total electrical capacity of 52.6 GW are under construction.

If we look back through the history of Russian nuclear energy, in 1946 they managed to build the first reactor in Eurasia and exactly after 7 years later, in 1954, the first nuclear power plant started its operation in a city named Obninsk. It was a Light Water Graphite Reactor and the useful power output of that power plant was only 6 MW during that time.

After some years later they managed to build a very successful nuclear reactor named ВВЭР,  which it is in English we call as VVER or WWER (Water Cooled Water Moderated Energy Reactor). The first VVER unit was commissioned in 1964, at Novovoronezh nuclear power plant, in the Voronezh region, Russia. Since then, more than 60 VVER/WWER reactors have been constructed. In 2016, the first in the world reactor of Generation III+ was connected to the grid in Novovoronezh II Nuclear Power Plant. The AES-2006 design is the latest evolution in the long line of VVER plants. It meets all the international safety requirements for Gen III+ nuclear power plants.

If we talk about why the world is so much interested and focused on using nuclear power, we can see some major advantages. Some major advantages are mentioned below.

1. Nuclear energy is concentrated and reliable source of almost infinite energy, which is independent of weather conditions.
2. High-capacity factors are achievable, often in excess of 90% with long operating cycles, making units suitable for continuous base-load operation.
3. Essentially negligible operating emissions of carbon dioxide and relatively small number of wastes generated compared to alternate fossil-fuel thermal power plants.
4. Small amount of fuel required compared to that of fossil-fuel thermal power plants.
5. Nuclear Power Plants can supply relatively cheap electricity even during night hours as they usually operate on full load (capacity) 24/7.

As a result, nuclear power is considered as the most viable source for electricity generation within next 50 – 100 years. However, nuclear power must operate and compete in energy markets based on relative costs and strategic advantages of the available fuels and energy types.

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are today’s a very popular topic in nuclear engineering worldwide. According to the IAEA ARIS (Advanced Reactors Information System) data, there are more than 50 SMRs designs/concepts. In general, as of today, a number of small nuclear-power reactors by installed capacity (10 – 300 MW) operate around the world. Moreover, some of them operate successfully for about 50 years! However, they cannot be named as SMRs. Also, France, Russia, UK, USA and other countries have great experience in successful development, manufacturing, and operation of submarines, icebreakers, and ships propulsion reactors. Therefore, many modern designs/concepts of SMRs are based on these achievements.

These Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) will be very helpful for a country like Sri Lanka due to its small area of 65,000km2 and its population density. Currently Sri Lanka is depending on its natural resources and fossil fuels, but the country is also suffering due to lack of its own resources. If you look at why the use of nuclear energy is so important in a country like Sri Lanka, you can understand how much electricity a nuclear power plant can produce compared to thermal and hydropower plants.

Finally, I can say that we as a country have to think about this decision, because the current electricity is not enough to meet the demand. Teaming up with Russia to build SMRs would be a very wise choice and building this would open doors for Sri Lanka not only in the energy industry but also in new technologies related to nuclear.