The first nuclear power plant to be built in Central Asia
July 13, 2018 | 20:28 |1599
In Uzbekistan, the decision was made to develop an absolutely new branch for the country - nuclear energy, the media of the neighboring state reports. As was said at a special meeting of the Uzbek government, Tashkent agreed with the ROSATOM, the Russian state nuclear energy corporation, on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country, consisting of two blocks with a capacity of 1.2 GW each. The power plant should be introduced before 2028. It must be admitted that after the accidents at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and Fukushima-1, the world’s attitude towards nuclear power is varied. As for arguments cited in favor of the need to develop nuclear power, they are quite rational. In the world, the demand for gas, oil, coal and other energy sources is constantly growing, which leads to depletion of natural resources. So, the annual demand of Uzbekistan for electricity is 69 billion kW/h. Almost 85 percent of Uzbekistan’s electricity is generated by thermal power plants running on gas and coal, the remaining 15 percent – by hydroelectric power plants. For this purpose, 16.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 86,000 tons of fuel oil and 2.3 million tons of coal are consumed annually. According to the calculations, by 2030, due to the growth of the economy, the population, as well as the level of life, the need for electricity will reach 117 billion kW/h. Moreover, it will require additional power sources.Nury AMANOV
The nuclear power plant will allow saving annually 3.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Recycling of the saved gas will allow producing petrochemical products with high added value. Even if the gas saved is not processed, but simply exported, it will bring Uzbekistan $ 550-600 million a year.
Well, everything is correct and logical.
There is a law of dialectics: the unity and struggle of opposites. This law best describes the interconnection of energy and environmental problems in the world. When, on the one hand, the world community grows its understanding that it is necessary to reduce the probability of anthropogenic disasters, to protect the environment, to use renewable sources of energy, such as solar energy and wind power. On the other hand, population growth, economic growth and simply growing energy needs dictate the need to build new nuclear power plants.
High-tech Europe, frightened by Chernobyl and Fukushima-1, stops nuclear reactors, while, in some densely peopled regions of the world, nuclear power plants are the only way to solve energy problems. These is the paradoxe of world energy.
Where is the truth? Probably, as always, somewhere in the middle. I think that in today’s world, no country will refuse to use peaceful nuclear energy, since nuclear energy opens up infinite opportunities, especially in the future. However, you need to remember with what force you are dealing with, and what can happen if it comes out of “obedience.” This is exactly the case when both Turkmen and Uzbek aksakal (wise men) advise, make sure of the measurements seven times before cutting the cloth once, and it is a wise saying.
