RTS: What the Chinese Offer for a Modular Nuclear Reactor in Serbia Brings
China's offer to build a modular nuclear reactor in Serbia quickly and at a favorable price opens numerous questions about the future of the domestic energy sector. While many experts advocate a combination of classical nuclear power plants and small modular reactors, the question arises as to which possibilities Serbia is actually considering.
In the context of the fact that just 80 kilometers from the border, in neighboring Hungary, lies the Paks nuclear power plant where a second block is being built, Serbia currently shares the potential risk with its neighbors, while Hungary reaps the benefits.
On why it is important for the country to enter a nuclear program, how to approach foreign offers, the difference between a reactor and a power plant, as well as safety issues, current global trends, development phases, and the success of domestic young scientists, Miloš Lazarević, a scientific researcher at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, spoke on the First Program of Radio Belgrade and the show "In the Spotlight."
It should not be dismissed just because it comes from China, but it should not be accepted just because low prices are mentioned. In nuclear energy, there is no such thing as fast and cheap.
Lazarević emphasizes that China's offer to put a commercial small reactor on the grid and sell it to countries like Serbia should be taken seriously, but not sensationally.
"It should not be dismissed just because it comes from China, but it should not be accepted just because low prices are mentioned. In nuclear energy, there is no such thing as fast and cheap. If doing so jeopardizes safety, the regulatory process, personnel training, long-term responsibility, my first comment might be: it is good that Serbia is receiving offers and that nuclear energy is being discussed again, but every offer should be analyzed, so to speak, with a cool head," Lazarević emphasizes.
According to him, China's offer includes three key elements – favorable prices, short construction deadlines, and personnel training, of which the latter is the most important for Serbia's future so that the country is not just a passive observer.
"All these three things are, generally speaking, important, especially the training of personnel, because Serbia must not enter a nuclear program only as a passive buyer, but as someone who will actively participate in it. If we ever decide on a nuclear power plant, be it a large conventional one or a small modular reactor, the essence is not just for someone to deliver that facility. The essence is to build our own competence. That is, the professional public, regulatory bodies, operators, research institutes, and educational programs," explains the researcher from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Nuclear Reactor or Nuclear Power Plant
To help the public better understand the subject, Lazarević made a clear analogy between the nuclear reactor itself and the nuclear power plant, explaining that these are not the same concepts.
"It is important to make a clear distinction. A nuclear reactor and a nuclear power plant are not the same. A nuclear reactor is a device in which a fission chain reaction takes place. The binding energy of the atomic nucleus of nuclear fuel is released, which is transferred as heat to the reactor coolant, which is a fluid that can be water, gas, a salt solution, or even liquid metal. In other words, the nuclear reactor is, as we in mechanical engineering like to say, a heat source. All nuclear reactors work on this principle, whether they are smaller or larger in size or power," Lazarević explains.
On the other hand, a power plant represents a much broader and more complex system that integrates all the supporting elements necessary for electricity production and safety.
Lazarević emphasizes that accidents in the past have helped today's technology achieve the highest safety standards.
"Everyone always converges on Chernobyl and its discussion, thanks to the accidents that occurred, including Chernobyl, but also others that are less well-known," Lazarević explains.
(RTS)
