According to a recent Interfax report, the Russian Rosatom is discussing with the government of Uzbekistan the possibility of using ‘dry cooling tower’ technology in a nuclear power plant construction project.
The report communicates that Polina Lyon, Director of the Department of Sustainable Development of the state corporation Rosatom, has said that the water situation in Uzbekistan is very difficult. They have forecast that by 2050 there will be no water in Uzbekistan. Thus, they’re discussing a solution with dry cooling towers. It’s a fairly complex technological solution, but they’re thinking a little ahead. And, in fact, the issue of minimum water consumption for nuclear energy is also very serious on the agenda.
The ‘dry cooling tower’ technology assumes the absence of water evaporation during the cooling process of the reactor. In December 2017, the governments of Uzbekistan and Russia signed an agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. In September 2018, an intergovernmental agreement was signed on cooperation in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan according to a Russian project. Rosatom has plans to build a complex of two power units with VVER-1200 reactor units in the country.
