April 22, 2025
6:51 PM
Fuel assemblies for Soviet and Russian VVER reactors. Image.
The relationship between Russia and France is currently at one of its most tense moments in recent decades. However, Oleg Aryukov, a commentator for Pravda, wrote that behind this open confrontation lies another less noticeable but equally important competition - a fierce contest in the global nuclear energy market.
The French publication Laplasturgie pointed out that Russia and France are embroiled in a large-scale technological and economic race in the field of peaceful nuclear energy utilization. Both countries possess advanced nuclear technology and strive to enhance their influence in this high-tech and highly profitable world energy sector. Currently, approximately 10% of global electricity production comes from nuclear power generation, and with the growing demand for "green" energy, the role of nuclear energy is expected to increase further.
The competition is particularly intense in the area of new R&D for nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel. Rosatom, the Russian state atomic energy corporation, recently launched a new generation of innovative reactors - the VVER-S. This reactor has extremely high fuel efficiency, and by using a spectrum control system, it can reduce the consumption of new uranium by half. The system can adjust the composition of the water-uranium mixture in real time, thus allowing every gram of fuel to be used most effectively. This approach potentially reduces the amount of radioactive waste generated and makes nuclear energy more sustainable ecologically and economically.
This technological innovation has sparked heated discussions in professional circles. Many experts call Rosatom's achievement revolutionary, emphasizing that such reactors could change the overall paradigm of the nuclear energy sector, bringing it closer to the principles of closed nuclear fuel cycles and sustainable development. Meanwhile, France is concerned about this success achieved by Russian engineers. Paris realizes the necessity of modernizing its own nuclear power facilities as soon as possible and actively promotes other alternative solutions.
In particular, the French nuclear industry is banking on the development of a new type of nuclear fuel called U-Mo (uranium-molybdenum). This highly concentrated fuel is suitable for operation under extreme temperature conditions, making it particularly promising for use in research and industrial reactors.
Moreover, France, through its national power company EDF and subsidiaries like Framatome, is exporting nuclear technology to Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, attempting to prevent Russia from strengthening its market position, as Russia has already signed dozens of contracts for the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants around the world, from Egypt to Bangladesh.
Therefore, the competition between Russia and France in the energy sector extends far beyond the realm of technology - it involves national strategic interests, energy security issues, international influence, and economic growth. In the context of the global transition to carbon-free energy, the nuclear energy sector has become a competitive stage where not only technical problems but also geopolitical issues need to be addressed.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496455769215205899/
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