OREANDA-NEWS. June 14, 2017. The Russian Federation’s Pavilion was inaugurated at the International Exhibition Astana EXPO 2017 on June 10. ROSATOM’s exhibition has one of the central places.

The exhibition inauguration was attended by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia and General Commissar of the Russian Section Georgy Kalamanov, Commissar of the international specialized exhibition EXPO 2017 Rapil Zhoshybaev, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Kazakhstan Mikhail Bocharnikov, and President of Rusatom – International Network Alexander Merten.

On the eve of opening, 9 June, President of Russia Vladimir Putin visited the Russian Pavilion where he was demonstrated the energy potential of the Russian Arctic. The President was shown the installation in water ‘The Arctic’s Energy’ where the Northern Sea Route was presented with nuclear icebreaker make-ups on it. During the session, Head of ROSATOM Alexei Likhachev told the President about new projects of ROSATOM, in particular, about the floating NPP under construction and a promising facility, i.e. the flagship of the Russian nuclear fleet that is the Leader icebreaker.
 
The only world’s nuclear icebreaker fleet is incorporated in ROSATOM and historically is the outmost for the Arctic development. This means the navigation in the northern seas and research expeditions and development of the Arctic shelf and tourism.

In the Russian Pavilion ROSATOM said “a new word” in the Russian icebreaker fleet history, i.e. the Leader nuclear icebreaker project. Visual concept of the icebreaker is shown on a radial 3D screen. This is the icebreaker of the future which can travel in the Arctic all-the-year-round irrespectively of weather; it would be able to overcome 4-meter ice, with 2-meter ice it would do at the speed of 10 knots. These parameters will shorten freight shipping via the Northern Sea Route. Transportation of goods by this way today gives twice gain in time as compared to the existing transportation routes via the Suez and Panama Channels.

At the panel session ‘Nuclear Power is Future Energy’, which has been organized by NAK Kazatomprom, Director General of ROSATON Alexei Likhachev spoke on his vision of the energy development prospects: “Nuclear power is as clean and carbon-free electricity generation as solar and wind. We are not competitors but allies. All contradictions between us are artificial. We are not instead, we are together.” He stressed that “the phase-out of nuclear energy and declared transition to only ‘clean’ wind and sun means: first, it is expensive in terms of economy; second, it is inefficient if you refer to emission of greenhouse gases; and third, unsafe in terms of stability of electricity supplies to consumers.” He thinks the most important task of today is to seek for a reasonable balance between different environment-friendly energy generations. “And I deeply convinced that it is not possible to find such a balance without nuclear! Solar, wind and nuclear energies are the constituents which mutually support the green power mix,” Likhachev said.