MINSK, 22 June (BelTA) – More than 50 agreements were signed during the 9th international nuclear industry forum Atomexpo 2017 held by the Russian state corporation Rosatom in Moscow from 19 to 21 June, BelTA learned from the press service of the Atomexpo company.
This year's edition of the forum gathered a record number of participants, over 6,500 representatives of 65 countries. Thirty-three countries sent official government delegations. Four countries took part in the forum for the first time: Sudan, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Sri Lanka. Atomexpo 2017 brought together representatives of 653 companies, including 120 exhibitor companies. The project of the Belarusian nuclear power plant also had its booth at the forum.
The participants of Atomexpo 2017 concluded a record high number (over 50) of contracts and other agreements, both interstate and commercial ones. The list includes nine intergovernmental agreements, including the agreements with Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda on cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy. Four documents were signed with Zambia. Two of them are designed to promote the implementation of the project to set up a Nuclear Science and Technologies Center in this country. Business contracts account for some 60% of the total. One of the most important ones is the contract to sell 49% of shares in the Akkuyu Nuclear company to a consortium of three Turkish companies. The company will build and operate the first NPP in Turkey. Agreements were concluded within the framework of the Rosatom project for the development of wind power generation with the Dutch company Lagerwey to transfer technologies related to the production of wind turbines. Another agreement was signed with Gazprombank to finance the construction of wind parks in Russia.
The plenary session “Atom as a basis for zero carbon energy future” was a major business event. In his greeting remarks, First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Executive Office, Chairman of Rosatom Supervisory Board Sergei Kiriyenko pointed out that according to the 2015 Paris Agreement, the share of clean energy in the global energy balance should be increased from 30% to 80% within 30 years.
The participants of the session exchanged views on the role of nuclear power in building a carbon-free future. They emphasized that to achieve a stable energy balance, the countries should combine different types of energy.
Discussions on the main theme of the forum and other topics concerning the present and the future of nuclear energy continued during the roundtables. Sixteen meetings and presentations were attended by more than 200 experts. For example, the investment strategies and financing of the nuclear sector and also the principles of implementation of complex projects to build nuclear power plants abroad were the key topic of the roundtable “Investment in the future: choosing the strongest”. The participants considered the nuclear power plant construction projects Hanhikivi-1 in Finland and Akkuyu in Turkey that are implemented based on the Russian model (build-own-operate).
More than 400 participants attended the roundtable to discuss the innovative solutions for the life cycle of nuclear energy in the context of sustainable development. The representatives of government agencies and international organizations, leaders of the global nuclear industry, non-governmental organizations exchanged views on priorities for enhancing the competitiveness and environmental safety of nuclear energy through innovative development and international cooperation.
A two-day event “Digital future: the next step in the development of nuclear technology” focused on the practice of implementing digital technologies in the industry and the needs of states to promote digitalization. The participants discussed the European practices and standards in terms of the global movement towards economic digitalization, and considered the prospects for the development of state governance in the digital economy. The ASE Group of Companies (part of Rosatom) presented its Multi-D Platform. The guests could test it using the simulator at the ASE booth.
The Russian nuclear industry was presented by over 40 Rosatom companies, including Rosenergoatom Concern, TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom, Atomenergomash group, JSC Atomstroyexport, Rusatom Automated Control Systems (RASU), ARMZ Uranium Holding, Mayak Production Association, Mining and Chemical Plant, TENEX, Rusatom Overseas Inc., and Rusatom Healthcare. The world's leading companies, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, Rolls-Royce (Great Britain), China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC, China), National Atomic Company Kazatomprom (Kazakhstan), AREVA NP and Schneider Electric (France), L-3 MAPPS (Canada), TAIM WESER (Spain), Fortum (Finland), as well as companies from South Korea, Turkey, Slovakia, Italy and other countries were also among the exhibitors.
The last day of the forum, 21 June was declared the Youth Day. It featured special events for Russian and foreign students, including the superfinal of the seventh Tournament of Young Professionals TeMP, the quests “Global Rosatom” and “Park of Rosatom Professions”, a video contest for foreign students and a number of other activities.
The international forum Atomexpo is organized by Rosatom on an annual basis. It was founded in 2009, and the Atomexpo company is the event operator.
