On October 21, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation held the seminar on public acceptance of nuclear power as part of the annual India Nuclear Energy Forum held on October 20 and 21 at Nehru Center in Mumbai. The India Nuclear Energy Forum is the central Indian exhibition dedicated to nuclear power which gathers industry leaders with business interests in the region.
During the first day of the forum the participants were welcomed by Alexey Pimenov, CEO of Rosatom South Asia. Nikita Mazein, Vice President of Rusatom Overseas Inc., and Alexander Zagornov, Rosatom Innovation Management Division Project Manager, took part in panel discussions.
On the second day of the forum all the participants joined the State Corporation seminar entitled "Public Acceptance – Role of Professional Bodies". Consul General of the Russian Federation in Mumbai Andrey Zhiltsov welcomed the participants:
"It’s a great pleasure to state that the Russian atomic energy contributes its best efforts and support to the realization of the Indian national nuclear power programme," A. Zhiltsov noted. The head of the diplomatic mission of Russia in Mumbai also said: "Russia and India may be proud of the achievements in other areas of the nuclear cooperation, such as scientific and technical collaboration and nuclear fuel cycle. We do cooperate successfully in the framework of the international projects such as ITER," A. Zhiltsov added.
Ravi Shankar, Head, Public Awareness Division, Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, noted in his welcoming address:
“If we look at 40% of non-fossil fuel energy (India’s) target by 2030, then nuclear power will play big role, key role in this sector”. He also added that India and Russia have cooperated with each other for a long time; however there are still a lot of things to be done.
During his opening address Aleksey Pimenov explained how public acceptance influences the implementation of nuclear energy projects: "Rosatom pays special attention to interaction with communities and stakeholders in the countries where nuclear power plants are being built. We have worked in this field for many years and can share our best practices”.
Leading international experts in the sphere of environmental protection and nuclear power, like Ravi Shankar, Head of the Public Awareness Division of the Department of Atomic Energy of India, Shah Nawaz Ahmad, Senior Advisor for India, Middle East and South East Asia of the World Nuclear Association, and others, took part in the seminar.
Various aspects of the environmental safety and public acceptance of nuclear power were discussed. In particular, the participants of the seminar learnt about a unique technology of Russian VVER reactors and the operation of such reactors in the countries with a tropical and subtropical climate. An important topic, namely the role of nuclear power in alleviating the negative impact of global warming, was also considered.
In conclusion, the participants noted that nowadays more and more countries implementing nuclear power projects were becoming aware that public acceptance was a global factor influencing not only the implementation of particular projects but also the nuclear power industry as a whole.
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About ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation
Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation comprises about 350 enterprises and R&D institutions. Rosatom is one of the leaders in the global nuclear technology market: it is a global leader in terms of the number of NPPs simultaneously constructed abroad; it holds the second place in terms of uranium reserves and the third place in terms of its production. Besides, Rosatom holds the second place in the world in terms of nuclear power generation, providing for 36% of the global market in uranium enrichment services and 17% of the nuclear fuel market. Eight power units are being constructed in Russia, while the number of those built abroad is 36.
About the Kudankulam NPP project
The Kudankulam NPP is being constructed in India in accordance with the bilateral agreement as of November 20, 1988, and its addendum as of June 21, 1998. In 2002 the construction of the first two power units with VVER-1000 reactors (with the total capacity of 2,000 MW) began under the management of the Russian company JSC Atomstroyexport. Unit 1 of the Kudankulam NPP was connected to the grid in 2013. The second power unit was commissioned in October, 2016. The road map "Twenty – twelve", signed on December 11, 2014, during a Russian-Indian summit in new Delhi provides for the construction of at least 12 power units of NPP of Russian design in the next 20 years.
About the India Nuclear Energy Forum: India Nuclear Energy:
The annual forum is the central Indian exhibition dedicated to nuclear power which gathers industry leaders from various countries which have business interests in the region. The event is organized by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). The Forum is attended by about 200 participants and about 6,000 visitors.