Speaking during a nuclear panel discussion Rosatom regional vice president of Sub-Saharan Africa, Viktor Polikarpov reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the African continent. He noted that the continent needed to strive towards achieving a balanced and environmentally friendly energy mix and that nuclear had an essential role to play.
Polikarpov also noted that it was a very positive sign that numerous African nations had recently shown great interest in developing nuclear, not only to close their current generation gaps but also to secure the immense amount of power needed to make future economic and social ambitions a reality.
“In order for African countries to reach their full potential and achieve their ambitious development goals, the region needs access to affordable and clean baseload power. Countries that go nuclear are assured security of supply, affordable energy and reduced greenhouse emissions,” he added.
He explained that nuclear power should be viewed as a lucrative long term investment, one that will provide sustainable and affordable power for generations to come. “I think it is important to note that Koeberg, Africa’s only NPP, currently supplies the most cost effective electricity to the South African grid,” said Polikarpov.
He continued by highlighting the fact that nuclear technologies provide far reaching socio economic benefits beyond just providing sustainable and affordable energy, and that they play a fundamental role in improving the lives of millions of people across the globe.
“The nuclear industry saves countless lives through nuclear medicine, preserves roughly 40% of the global food stocks and plays an instrumental role in research and development. The introduction of nuclear technology to a region also has an immensely positive impact on education, industrialisation and job creation,” concluded Polikarpov.