Rosatom presented an array of solutions in nuclear for energy- and technology-hungry African states at the African Nuclear Business Platform conference that took place on 15-16 October 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The conference gathered over 150 energy and nuclear professionals from across the globe. Representatives from key African countries that are planning or already implementing their respective programs for developing peaceful nuclear technologies included Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunizia, Uganda and Zambia. The topics key issues for development of nuclear on the continent: international collaboration, technology development, infrastructure, financing and regulation.
Speaking at the panel on global nuclear trends, Dmitry Shornikov, CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, emphasized the advantages of joining the atomic club through creating nuclear industries in newcomer countries and gave an overview of projects with the maximum positive effect on the industrial development, enhancing the quality of life and developing knowledge economy. He noted: “We are the only ones in the world who are fully vertically integrated in absolutely every segment of the nuclear value chain. We utilize this competitive advantage to create additional value by providing full support for the national nuclear energy program of the customer country at all its stages and provide access to the entire line of products and services throughout the entire life of a nuclear power plant from a single supplier. Rosatom offers solutions to partner countries in the field of energy and food security, health, education and science, improving the quality and standard of living of the population”.
Ryan Collyer, Deputy CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa highlighted the reliability and versatility of small modular nuclear power plants. He spoke of several tried and tested solutions in the field: “One of our latest and most exciting solutions is a floating nuclear power plant (FNPP). The first plant, fondly named “Akademik Lomonosov” after famous Russian polymath, scientist and writer Mikhail Lomonosov, is a unique and pioneering solution in the area of small modular reactors. ”.
‘Akademik Lomonosov’ twin KLT-40 reactor system has a capacity of 77 MW, which is sufficient to satisfy the electricity needs of a city with a population of about 100 thousand people. Due to its mobility, FNPP’s offer an excellent solution for power supply in remote and poorly accessible coastal territories. The versatile FNPP has numerous other applications such as heat generation and desalination depending on the needs and location of the region. ‘Akademik Lomonosov’ will be ready to start commercial operation on the shore of the Arctic Ocean in the Far East region of Russia in December 2019
Mr. Collyer also noted that Rosatom offers land-based small modular reactors known as RITM-200: “A modular approach allows for easier and more cost effective electrical capacity expansion, as additional reactor units and turbine equipment are able to utilize existing auxiliary infrastructure”.
