The Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom participated in the event as one of the main partners of the 10th Carbon Summit held in Istanbul. The summit, which is an important platform at the intersection of clean energy and environmental issues, brought together over 100 participants from more than 1000 companies. Rosatom took an active role in various business programs throughout the summit.
As part of the event, Polina Lion, Director of Rosatom’s Sustainable Development Department, gave a presentation on the critical role of nuclear energy in the green energy transition. In her presentation, Lion shared with the participants Rosatom’s significant contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and innovative nuclear energy solutions. Among these solutions, she provided detailed information on nuclear power plants with 3+ generation VVER-1200 reactors with the highest safety standards and small modular reactor projects that can meet the energy needs of the future.
Lion also touched on the issues of evaluating nuclear energy in terms of sustainability criteria and its compatibility with existing green regulations. He also drew attention to green and climate-focused financial instruments that should be taken into consideration in order to benefit from the “green” qualities of nuclear energy to the maximum extent.
Emphasizing that the energy sector is responsible for approximately 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Lion stated that low-carbon energy solutions are of central importance in the energy transformation process of every country. Stating that there are many important criteria that prove the “green” nature of nuclear energy, Lion listed these criteria as follows: “First, greenhouse gas emissions of nuclear power plants are extremely low throughout their entire life cycle. Second, they do not have any negative impact on the environment. In addition, elements such as the safe operation of nuclear power plants, the reliability of nuclear fuel, the capacity to produce a minimum level of nuclear waste, the existence of a transparent mechanism for the processing and storage of this waste, and the assurance of the decommissioning of nuclear power plants also support the sustainability of nuclear energy. As Rosatom, we have meticulously examined all these criteria and confirm that our nuclear energy solutions are in full compliance with the ‘green’ requirements.”
Underlining that preparations for a “green taxonomy” are currently underway in Türkiye, Polina Lion said, “We hope that nuclear energy will be included in this important document as a ‘green’ and sustainable energy source. This step will create a great opportunity for Türkiye to implement its international commitments to become carbon neutral by 2053.”
