Rosatom Helping Countries Develop Comprehensive Nuclear Science

Nuclear energy is not only about hi-tech nuclear power plants and innovative reactors to produce clear and cheap energy. Nuclear technologies are also about research reactors and scientific centers, which aim is to create conditions for countries to unleash their huge scientific potential.

For more than 70-years history of nuclear power research reactors have been cornerstones of innovation and development of global science and technologies. Research reactors are indispensable tools in the education and training of future NPP operators and engineers, basic and applied research in a wide range of scientific areas, and the production of scientifically and technologically important materials, such as radioisotopes.

Such reactors are also used for testing new types of nuclear fuel and studying the radiation resistance of new materials and electronic devices.

Nowadays more and more countries apply technologies of research reactors as they bear in mind substantial benefits of modern nuclear technologies because a large-scale national nuclear energy program can stimulate sustainable and dynamic development of other important industries like industry, agriculture, medicine.

Research reactors have potential to adjust nuclear technologies for social development. For instance production of medical isotopes to treat cancer and other diseases could not be possible without research reactors.

As World Health Organization states, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and the rate of cancer diseases is expected to rise. Only in Sub-Saharan Africa more than half million people die from cancer every year. Such a tragic tendency can be considerably leveled down by nuclear medicine and development of local special centers of isotopes production for hospitals. The localization is quite important for African countries as supply chain of strategic radioisotopes is very vulnerable.

To face this issue IAEA and its responsible members encourage and support development of research reactors from assisting in establishing necessary national infrastructure to enhancing cooperation with other state members. In this respect Russia represented by Rosatom State Nuclear Corporation fully shares IAEA approach to help other countries to develop all aspects of peaceful nuclear technologies. For instance Rosatom and Atomic Energy Commission of Nigeria signed an agreement on construction of Center for Nuclear Research and Technology. It is very important to know, that in particular, the Center will allow to start manufacturing in Nigeria the radio isotopes for widespread use in diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases, allowing to increase the availability of nuclear medicine to the country’s citizens.

Rosatom does its best to contribute to increasing living standards of African people. Close ties were established with South Africa scientific community. Since 1993 the Russian Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna (JINR) and South Africa have been forging strong cooperation in scientific field. Since 2007 the practical training for students and postgraduate students of the Republic of South Africa has been held in Dubna. About 30 students accompanied by their professors come every year to Russia to interchange experience with Russian colleagues.

Also Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in cooperation with JINR develops new technologies that have paramount importance for South Africa in sphere of nuclear reactor core steel and fuel.

Russia has a vast competence in developing all branches of nuclear industry. Over 120 research reactors were built in Russia, 58 of them are still being operated – about 20% of the world number of research reactors. More than 20 research reactors were built abroad in cooperation with Russia and on the basis of Russian designs. Russian company has proved its high technological competence by building nuclear research and technology centers all over the world. Rosatom, as a responsible supplier, that is very much concerned about the partner-countries meeting all the required conditions for nuclear power facilities operation and development.

In Bolivia, Rosatom committed itself to build much needed research center. The Center will allow Bolivia to start nuclear technologies development and apply them in science, healthcare, geology, agriculture, and other human activity areas. In particular, the Center will help to launch the local production of radioisotopes, which can be widely used for diagnostics and treatment of cancer, thus making the nuclear health care more accessible for the citizens. The use of such Centers food and agricultural products irradiation technologies aimed at their protection and prevention of invasive pestsand bacteria spread will help to increase the food storage life and provide solid ground for agricultural products export growth.

At the Global scale, Russia makes its best to make its hi-tech research reactors available to all IAEA members for joint research and development projects. To this end the Russian Research Institute of Atomic Reactors State Scientific Centre will become an international hub transformed into the second IAEA International Centre based on Research Reactors (ICERR).

That is very important, because access to such facilities and its experienced staff will help other countries to achieve their particular objectives relevant to domestic priorities and in building competence in nuclear science and technology.

Moreover, the Rosatom is open to mutually beneficial cooperation on the world’s most powerful multifunctional fast neutron reactor MBIR, which is being constructed in Russia. That facility will open a new page in the history of nuclear science, broaden the spectrum of experimental capabilities of the sector and create the base for the future International Research Center to support sustainable development of nuclear power in future.

Commissioning of MBIR will substantially expand experimental capabilities of the global nuclear sector and lay the technological basis for the International Research Center MBIR, which is established on Rosatom’s initiative.

A range of countries, including South Africa, France, India and South Korea, have expressed theirs interest in participating in the project. Participation in the project, international partners would be able to get access to unique technologies and minimize their own expenditures.

Nowadays advancement of innovations cannot be fully implemented without nuclear technologies that can offer a broad range of efficient solutions in different spheres of life. That’s why Rosatom puts a premium on helping emerging countries to develop their own nuclear programmes and research initiatives.

Related: Nuclear Energy Essential to African Energy Mix