08.04.2008 // Press Center of Nuclear Power Industry

Scientific-educational conference “Nuclear Technologies and Quality of Life” took place in Rosatom on Apr 8

The conference was part of the final of the International Contest of Research and Education Projects “Energy of the Future 2008.”

Not only the leading nuclear experts of our country — executives of Rosatom, nuclear companies and research centers – but also the finalist of the “Energy of the Future 2008” — schoolchildren from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus – took part in the conference.

The event was organized by Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, Atomenergoprom, Techsnabexport, Nuclear Safety Institute, Rosatom Public Council and Nuclear Academy.

The organizing committee comprised Igor Konyshev, the director of the Department for Work with Public Organizations and Regions of Rosatom-the secretary of Rosatom Public Council, Rafael Autiunyan, the first deputy director of the Nuclear Safety Institute, Mikhail Kovalchuk, the director of Kurchatov Institute, Anatoly Tsyb, the director of the Medical Radiological Research Center.

The conference was chaired by the rector of Nuclear Academy Boris Krupnov.

The following people made reports:

- secretary of Rosatom Public Council Igor Konyshev;
- professor of the Radio-chemistry Chair of the Chemical Department of Moscow State University Igor Bekman;
- the head of the Radio-nuclide Testing Department of the Medical Radiological Research Center German Davydov;
- the head of the laboratory of Kuchatov Institute Stanislav Subbotin.

The key objective of the conference was to discuss the role of nuclear technologies in ensuring the high quality of life in Russia and worldwide.

Today the quality of life is one of the key indicators of development of a country, region or field of human activity.

During his last message President of Russia Vladimir Putin said: “The key goal of our activities, the key issue of our state policy is to substantially enhance the quality of life in Russia. This is our absolute priority.”

Nuclear energy has a big role in the social-economic development of Russia. The federal target program for the development of the nuclear industry of Russia in 2008–2010 and -2015 says that by 2020 the total capacity of Russian nuclear power plants should reach 40GW.

A number of leading international experts say that only by actively enlarging the use of nuclear energy can humanity ensure its sustainable development in the coming decades and prevent ecological disaster caused by climate change. The new generation of nuclear power plants will make possible the use of ecologically safe hydrogen as a strong alternative to oil.

The construction of nuclear power plants in remote areas of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East will enhance the living standards in those regions and will help them to develop their industries. This is a strong guarantee of integrity and national security of the Russian Federation.

IAEA’s technical cooperation program is aimed at developing research and using the knowledge of nuclear science for meeting the basic needs of people worldwide.

Over one billion of people in developing countries are direly short of drinking water and food. In the next 15 years the world population is expected to grow by 2,000,000,000. At least, one billion of people worldwide have little access to safe drinking water. IAEA is actively using isotopes to search for underground sources of clean water and to reduce the effects of pollution on the health of millions of people. In the near future nuclear power plants may become the basis of desalination technologies for arid regions of the world.

Nuclear methods are used for improving harvest and fighting pests and diseases in tropical areas. Nuclear instruments help to enhance the safety of food products and to reduce air pollution.

Nuclear methods help food producers to enhance the nutritional value of their products and to prevent malnutrition of mothers and babies.

Radio-nuclides are successfully used in different spheres: industry (measuring and process control systems), construction of pipelines and other metal structures (non-destructive testing).

Nuclear technologies have long been used for detecting and treating serious diseases like cancer and heart problems. X-ray therapy is generally regarded as one of the most effective methods to treat cancer.

Nuclear energy and nano-technologies are opening new development prospects. Scientific magazines are beginning to use the term “isotope economy,” which means the use of new types of atoms in the economy.

In developed western countries nuclear technologies have long become an important factor of social-economic welfare. Today, production of isotope sources is one of the key spheres of the world economy with millions of US dollars invested in it.  

Nuclear reactors and accelerators generate new essential atoms. Decomposition of heavy nuclei produces a wide spectrum of lighter isotopes that cannot be produced in other ways. For example, the concentration of rare metals in spent nuclear fuel is much higher than their average concentration in the lithosphere. No surprise that the Japanese have called spent nuclear fuel one of the best ores on the Earth. What we call waste can prove to be a very valuable product, an alternative to organic fuel.

The conference is supposed to help form a public coalition in support of the development of nuclear power industry and nuclear technologies, to enhance ecological safety and develop the human potential of territories, to involve youths in the discussion and resolution of regional problems to enlarge the international cooperation and the strengthen the public status of the nuclear industry.

Before the conference the finalists of the “Energy of the Future 2008” visited the Crisis Center of Rosatom.