Paving the Way to Green Status for Nuclear Power

Abstract

The paper considers a way to bring nuclear power into the category of “green” energy technologies; thus advertising its critical role in achieving the sustainable development goals adopted by the UN in 2015, and presents an option of nuclear power development based on a new technological platform (NTP) with two pillars: closed nuclear fuel cycle (CNFC), and fast reactors (FR). Provisions are formulated to break through the skepticism of nuclear power opponents. The “PRORYV” (the Russian equivalent for “break-through”) project is focused on proving the industrial feasibility of the closed fuel cycle on-site of the NPP with fast reactor, thus giving the technological opportunity to establish nuclear energy systems environmentally friendly and free from the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons. Such a nuclear energy system could contribute significantly in combating both looming energy crises and climate change.