By Huseyin Erdogan
ANKARA
Energy cooperation between Turkey and China will increase with the deal to build a third-generation nuclear power plant, said SNPTC, China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation's chairman.
Turkey’s state-owned electricity generation corporation, Electric Production A.S., China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation and U.S.-based Westinghouse electric company announced a multi-party agreement to enter exclusive negotiations to develop and construct the third nuclear power plant in Turkey.
"In the world's energy mix, nuclear power plays an important role," said SNPTC Chairman Wang Binghua as more advanced and safer third-generation nuclear power technology is becoming the mainstream choice of global nuclear new-build programs.
According to the World Nuclear Association, third generation reactors have a simpler and more rugged design, higher availability and longer operating life-typically 60 years. They further offer the reduced possibility of core melt accidents, and are resistant to serious damage that would allow radiological release from an aircraft impact, or higher burn-up to use fuel more fully and efficiently and reduce the amount of waste.
The premier third-generation advanced reactors have been operating in Japan since 1996, according to the World Nuclear Association.
"Countries that are preparing nuclear power are looking at third generation nuclear power technology with engineering validation. Third generation nuclear power technology is expected to become the mainstream nuclear power technology choice with its unique advantages of a pumped storage system and CAP1400 technology," Wang said.
The pumped-storage hydroelectricity system is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy of water, pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation. Low-cost off-peak electric power is used to run the pumps.
The new technology, known as third generation GEN (+) CAP1400, which will come to Turkey could be planned to combine with a pumped storage system. This new technology is currently being used in China both in the Sanmen and Haiyang nuclear power plant.
Wang says that SNPTC can compete with Russia and France in its know-how of third generation nuclear technology.
"Many developing countries have placed nuclear power as an important option for their domestic energy strategy. It is foreseeable that as a mature, safe, clean, economic and the only large-scale substitutable energy source, nuclear energy will play an important role in future world energy mix," he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that by 2030, the lowest growth percentage of nuclear power will be 17 percent and the highest could reach as much as 94 percent.
According to the forecast of the International Energy Agency, world energy demand will increase by 37 percent in 2040.
Wang said, however, after the Fukushima accident with growing public concern and engineering practices of more advanced and safer power technology, new projects will predominantly be third generation nuclear power plants.
www.aa.com.tr/en
