China, Russia use nuclear power to boost influence with emerging countries such as Egypt: Nikkei
TOKYO: Russia is said to be focusing on exporting nuclear power technology to emerging countries such as Turkey and Bangladesh, as well as Egypt, where it installed a pressure vessel for the El Dabaa power plant in November.
Nikkei Asia reports that over the past decade, Russia has been involved in the construction of 19 nuclear power plants overseas. China is also heavily involved in the nuclear power market with the two countries accounting for 90 percent of nuclear power projects undertaken last year.
Of the 63 nuclear power plants that have begun construction worldwide since 2016, Chinese and Russian-made plants accounted for over 90 percent. The only nuclear power plants not built by China or Russia were five in South Korea and the United Kingdom.
By promoting nuclear power construction under state leadership, Beijing and Moscow are seen to be expanding their influence through the development of power sources and exports to emerging countries.
However, construction of nuclear power plants by Russia has been delayed due to economic sanctions imposed in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. A nuclear power plant under construction in Turkey is facing financial difficulties, delaying its operation past the original 2023 start date.
Russia is also developing small reactors. At an international conference in November, President Vladimir Putin mentioned that small reactors would “move into mass production.” He stressed that Russia possesses its own nuclear power technology.
In the US, no new commercial nuclear power plants have been built since 2013. In an effort to boost nuclear power, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May to begin construction on 10 large reactors by 2030.
In early December, the Trump administration announced that it would provide $400 million in funding to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a government-affiliated power company, and other organizations. TVA will adopt a small reactor developed by a joint venture between heavy electrical equipment giant GE Vernova and Hitachi. It plans to have it operational as early as 2032.
TVA is also considering introducing small reactors from NuScale Power, a US company that has received investment from Japanese companies such as IHI. It is possible that Japanese-made parts will be used. NuScale claims that $25 billion of the investment in the US and Japan agreed to in tariff negotiations is expected to be used for business development.
In Europe, the US and Japan, the 2000s and 2010s saw a strong push toward nuclear power in pursuit of decarbonization. However, the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident led to a collapse of confidence in nuclear safety.
However, according to China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, 27 reactors are under construction in the country. A government-affiliated industry association projects nuclear power generation capacity there will reach 110 gigawatts by 2030, surpassing the United States to become the world’s largest nuclear power producer.