MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Russia should constantly move forward, consolidating its global leadership in the nuclear industry through the development of dual-component nuclear-power engineering with a closed fuel cycle, President of the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Kovalchuk said in an interview with TASS.
"Of course, leadership should not only be maintained but developed as well. The world does not stand still. By spreading nuclear technology, we have created a competitive environment. Building dozens of power units in India, China, and the Middle East, we also educate our partners, which, over time, will become our competitors. The Indians and Chinese have learned a lot from us — in fact, their lunar program, they admit themselves, is a significant contribution from us. Therefore, to maintain leadership, the only way is to move forward, to race ahead, and always invent new things, offer the most advanced solutions," he said.
The head of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center noted that today, the center's scientists are working with the state nuclear corporation Rosatom on a whole range of innovative projects — from small reactors for remote areas to new thermonuclear fusion units. "We are actually again pioneering in many areas, ensuring Russia's technological sovereignty. The next stage is the aforementioned ‘atomic project 2.0.’ Simply put, this is a transition to a dual-component nuclear power system with a closed fuel cycle, in which existing thermal reactors are supplemented with next-generation fast reactors. In addition, this involves using a fusion reactor (tokamak) as a neutron source for producing new fuel. This is a fundamentally new, environmentally friendly, ‘green’ nuclear energy of the future," Kovalchuk said.