Uzbekistan needs a large number of energy sources to achieve its future goals

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Nuclear Engineering International published an article “Nuclear Aspirations of Uzbekistan” based on interviews with Uzatom Director-General Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov.

As it was noted in the article, the decision of the leadership of Uzbekistan to build the first nuclear power plant is largely due to the fact that with the election of the new President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, changes have occurred in many areas, both in domestic and foreign policy.

The International Monetary Fund predicts that the economy of Uzbekistan will grow by 5% -6% per year until 2023. This economic growth will be accompanied by population growth. Subsequently, these factors will mean that the energy needs of Uzbekistan will increase.

According to the forecast, by 2030 the demand for electricity will double and grow to 117 billion kW / h. Uzbekistan is too dependent on natural gas; at present, gas accounts for 85% of Uzbekistan’s power generation. The country needs a large number of energy sources to achieve its future goals on the necessary indicators of electricity generation and ensure the growth of the country, the article said.

It is summarized that nuclear energy can help: production of about 15% of the total electricity in the country by 2030; increasing the export potential of energy resources; use of natural gas for other purposes, such as the production of petroleum products or exports; reduce CO2 emissions by 14 million tons, nitrogen oxides by 36 thousand tons and improve the environment.

The article also highlighted issue of choosing a site for construction of nuclear power plants. It is noted that at present Uzbekistan chooses a place that meets all the necessary requirements for the planned nuclear power plant, for this purpose geological and seismic studies are being conducted. In this regard, Uzbekistan will strictly abide by the recommendations of the IAEA and the established rules.

In accordance with one of the recommendations of the IAEA, it is necessary to conduct research at least three potential sites for nuclear power plants. This work includes geological, hydrological, meteorological and seismic, economic, infrastructure research. These works will be carried out within 1-1.5 years. In this regard, it is now impossible to talk about the specific location of the nuclear power plant, as this work continues, the publication said.

The next question from the publication concerned the choice of Uzbekistan for its first NPP of the Russian VVER-1200 technology. As noted by the Director General of Uzatom, the modern evolutionary design of the VVER 3+ generation technology meets the current international requirements and recommendations of the IAEA. That is why the State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM, which offers this technology and has world leadership in the field of nuclear energy, was chosen as the project partner.

“In accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation on cooperation in construction of a nuclear power plant in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a design, procurement and construction (EPC) contract will be signed with Rosatom, where it will act as a general contractor . The EPC will be funded by the government of Uzbekistan and concessional loans from the Russian government. After the construction is completed and the NPP is put into operation, it will be fully transferred to the Uzbek operator,” the interviewer said.

The article also highlights the issues of creating a legislative framework, in particular, a draft law “On the Use of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes” was drafted, which will be submitted to the Legislative Chamber of Parliament in the near future.

A decree and resolution of the President of Uzbekistan “On improving the system of public administration and supervision in the field of industrial, radiation and nuclear safety” was also adopted, according to which the regulatory authority in the field of nuclear energy, the Department of Nuclear Safety, was established on the basis of the reformed State Inspectorate for State Industrial Safety.