Conceptual aspects of nuclear power development in Russia up to 2010

Abstract

CONCEPTUAL ASPECTS OF NUCLEAR POWER DEVELOPMENT IN RUSSIA UP TO 2010 V. A. Sidorenko UDC 621.039.5The 40th anniversary of nuclear power comes during a difficult time in the life of Russia. On the one hand, the crisis limits us to short-term solutions to every day concerns. On the other hand, we must predict the trend and design tactics and a strategy for the long term in order that way out of the crisis and further development be balanced over the different sectors of the economy. Specifically, the development of the economy requires a reliable supply of energy.We cannot judge the postcrisis development from today's standpoint, when the drop in production is not stimulating the growth of energy production. The restructuring of economics, the change in property rights with a reduction of military production and increase in the production of consumer goods, the increase in the per capita consumption of electricity up to the levels of developed countries in the new economy -all this will unavoidably increase the production of electricity and the participation of different sources, including nuclear power plants, in this growth.In 1993 the total product.ion of electricity in the Russian Federation was 938.1.109 kW-h, of which nuclear power plants generated 119.2-109 kW.h, or 12.7% of the total production. It is significant that electricity generation by nuclear power plants was averaged to a much higher degree over separate regions in Russia: 47.8 % in the northwest, 23.9 % in the central region, and 16.4% in Povolzh'e. The total nuclear power capacity in Russia is 21.2 GW, the hydroelectric power capacity is 43.8 GW, and the thermal power capacity (central heat and electric power plants and state regional electric power plants) is 143.1 GW.The energ31 policy approved by the government at the end of 1992 under the new economic conditions examines ways to get out of the crisis and paths for further development of the fuel base and electric power production in Russia. Significant work was performed in 1993 by a group of experts from the Ministry of Fuel and Energy and the Ministry of Atomic Energy with participation of specialized and academic institutes on forecasting the growth of power production, including by nuclear power plants, for the period up to 2010 with some extrapolation into the next period also.The forecasts of electricity consumption up to 2010, made both by the specialized institutes and by different groups of experts and adopted by the Ministry of Economics, estimate 1350-1400 billion kW.h in 2010. This takes into account the realistically possible conservation of fuel and electricity. As an approximation, it can be assumed that electric power plants with a steam-turbine cycle must supply a production increase by about 400 billion kW.h. About 70% of the required increase in the production of electricity can be achieved by producing more gas and coal. including from new gas fields. If fossil fuel supplies only 70% of the required increase, then by 2010 about 120 billion kW.h per year must be produced b...

Corrosion tests in water of fuel elements irradiated in the world’s first NPP reactor

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Examination of Fuel Elements Irradiated in the Reactor of the World’s First NPP After Long-Term Storage

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