'Breakthrough technologies for a sustainable future' week at Expo 2020

Rosatom, a global nuclear and technological leader, hosted ‘Breakthrough Technologies for a Sustainable Future’ week at EXPO 2020. The events programme highlighted a wide range of technologies and their applications – including the latest nuclear innovations – aimed at improving quality of life and helping to tackle global social, economic and environmental challenges.

During the week, Evgeny Pakermanov, President of RusatomOverseas, spoke to WAM about small modular reactors (SMRs), an emerging field of nuclear technology that promises to have significant benefits for global decarbonisation efforts. 

Pakermanov explained to WAM how SMR technology is taking off around the world and how Rosatom is innovating in this area.

“Across the world, we are seeing significant interest in SMR technology. We know that over 70 designs are currently being developed worldwide. Rosatom is also actively involved in this sector and has a great advantage compared to its competitors, as we have been operating a unique SMR-equipped icebreaking fleet for several decades,” said Mr Pakermanov.

“We have been using SMRs in floating and land-based nuclear power plants as well as on nuclear icebreakers. AkademikLomonosov – the world’s first floating nuclear power unit – was launched in 2019 and has been successfully operating in the city of Pevek in the north of Russia for several years now. In fact, this is the world’s first modern small nuclear power plant.”

Akademik Lomonosov is a first-of-a-kind nuclear power plant that has been a test bed for Rosatom’s SMR technology. Pakermanov believes Rosatom has learned a lot through implementing the project and that floating power plants show great promise.  

“We are proud to be the first in the world to have implemented a floating nuclear power plant project. This project is now operating with great success and efficiency and supplying the city and territories around it with electricity. But the most important thing is that we have demonstrated the potential and effectiveness of this technology because we believe in its wide application.

“Floating nuclear power plants are well suited for remote areas and island countries. Such projects can be implemented almost anywhere with access to the sea,” commented Mr Pakermanov.

Despite the successful operation of Akademik Lomonosov, Rosatom is continuing to develop its floating nuclear power plant solution. By improving its design, Rosatom will be able to increase the capacity, lifespan and refuelling period of its floating plants, which will ultimately result in cheaper electricity for the end customer.  

“Naturally, like any new technology, SMR technology is ever-changing and improving. We are constantly working on making this technology better. We have already developed a new and improved solution for the floating power unit, which we are now implementing.

“Our new model will see an increase in the floating nuclear power plant’s capacity from 77 MW to over 100 MW and a longer service lifespan. If the current floating nuclear power plant is designed to operate over a period of 40 years, then the plants of the future will operate for at least 60 years. The refuelling period will also increase from the current 4-5 years to 7-10 years. All these improvements significantly increase the plant’s efficiency and reduce the cost of electricity per kWh. We will implement a number of other technical solutions to reduce the size of the floating nuclear power plant and shorten the project development time span,” explained Mr Pakermanov.

Rosatom is not only innovating in the floating nuclear power plant segment. Pakermanov explained how the company is currently working on its first land-based SMR project, which is set to transform power supply in one of Russia’s most remote regions. 

“We have launched a project to build a land-based small nuclear power plant in the northern Russian region of Yakutia,” said Mr Pakermanov. “This plant will use modern 55 MW-capacity RITM-200 reactors. First and foremost, this plant will provide the region with electricity, but it will also foster the development of the region’s mining complex and the implementation of a considerable gold mining project. This is a very effective and energy-efficient solution for a region such as Yakutia.

“We are currently working on site on designing the future station. We plan to complete all construction work and start generating electricity at the station in 2028.”

Both floating and land-based nuclear power plants using SMRs are dubbed as being the future of nuclear technology and can have significant advantages over conventional large-scale plants. Mr Pakermanov explained to WAM why SMRs are at the forefront of nuclear technology. 

“In talking about SMRs, we primarily focus on the word ‘small’. This aspect is an advantage. But modularity – which allows you to increase the production share, reduce construction time, and reduce the cost of implementing such projects – is important too. And that is why versatility and modularity are responsible for the high competitiveness of SMR technology,” said Mr Pakermanov.

Pakermanov added: “Another important advantage is the fact that SMRs make it possible to implement projects in relatively small power systems, as well as in decentralised ones. It is not possible, even if desired, to implement high-capacity NPP projects in all countries of the world; there are restrictions. In this sense, SMRs have a wider range of applications and their potential market is much greater.”

SMRs have widely been touted as a low-carbon energy source for remote regions or island states. As Mr Pakermanovexplained, SMR technology is designed to withstand all extreme climatic conditions.

“Reactor technologies are designed to operate in extreme conditions, both in terms of climate and seismic activity. With regard to projects implemented in hot countries, they have their own particularities that need to be taken into account. It is necessary to make additional decisions on the cooling of turbine condensers. Dry coolers can be used where water is scarce. Therefore, a set of technical solutions exists for such projects to be implemented,” said Mr Pakermanov.

Given the benefits and potential applications of SMR technology, interest in implementing the technology to help provide reliable, efficient and low-carbon energy is growing worldwide. Rosatom is seeing increasing levels of demand for its SMR solutions and is currently in discussions with a number of countries about exporting its technology. 

“We are seeing great interest in both floating nuclear power plants and land-based nuclear power plants. We believe that, by 2030, the global SMR market will comprise around 23-25 GW of power. Rosatom expects its share to be at least 15-20%,” explained Mr Pakermanov. “With regard to particular countries, I can say that we are involved in negotiations. Our SMR projects are currently at a pre-investment stage of discussion, but we have a number of partners in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa that are showing serious interest, which may result in real projects in the future.”

SMR technology is not the only energy innovation making the headlines. Green hydrogen has increasingly become part of the debate about how countries can meet climate targets. Following ENEC’s recent announcement that it plans to produce hydrogen at the Barakah nuclear power plant, Rosatom is also developing ways to produce low-carbon hydrogen. 

“Today, we are seeing huge global interest in the development of hydrogen technologies. Technologies for the production of low-carbon and carbon-free hydrogen also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and contribute to the achievement of the Paris Agreement goals. Rosatom is an active participant in this process. We are developing our own hydrogen programme and technologies for use in the production, transportation, and implementation of hydrogen. We are also seriously considering the possibility of producing hydrogen using nuclear power,” explained Mr Pakermanov.

“We are going to implement our pilot technology for the production of hydrogen using electrolysis and electricity from nuclear power plants at the Kola NPP in the northwest of Russia. But, in addition to working on projects based on commonly used electrolysis technology, Rosatom is designing a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor specially for hydrogen production. We hope that this will be a highly efficient solution that will allow us to produce large amounts of low-carbon hydrogen and achieve our future goals.”

Pakermanov feels that EXPO 2020 was an important platform for showcasing these technologies.

“This exhibition is a testament to the high-level technical achievements that we are seeing all over the world and in the UAE. Right now, especially in a pandemic, it is especially important that such events take place and that people have the opportunity to communicate and see the technologies of the future,” said Mr Pakermanov.

“I am glad that Rosatom has played such an active role in this event. We thank the UAE for its hospitality and for this rewarding experience.”

-Ends-

© Press Release 2022