The conference took place in Cape Town, South Africa. ROSATOM, a global leader in nuclear technologies, captivated attendees at the Enlit Africa 2024 Exhibition and Conference with a dynamic display of their latest innovations. The centerpiece of their exhibit was the groundbreaking Floating Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) Akademik Lomonosov, which drew significant attention and curiosity from visitors.
At the ROSATOM’s booth, attendees were treated to regular online tours of the Akademik Lomonosov, offering a virtual glimpse into the advanced capabilities and unique benefits of this floating marvel. The FNPP's optimized design boasts exceptional performance, reliability, and safety, making it an ideal solution for addressing Africa's growing energy demands and mitigating frequent power outages.
“The Akademik Lomonosov represents a new frontier in nuclear technology,” said Ryan Collyer, CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa. “Its ability to deliver stable, reliable power in a variety of conditions makes it a game-changer for energy security in Africa.”
On May 21st, ROSATOM further showcased its thought leadership in a session titled “Fossil Fuels and Future Generation.” This panel discussion delved into the diverse generation options for Africa, evaluating nuclear, gas, coal, and renewables in the context of a just energy transition. Ryan Collyer represented ROSATOM as a speaker, highlighting the potential of nuclear energy to address power outages and foster cooperation within the African nations. “Africa has huge potential for economic growth. Given specific characteristics and diversity of Africa, the requirement of electricity in remote and isolated areas, small nuclear power plants, including floating and land-based plants are easier to integrate into an energy system, and they do not require as extensive grid infrastructure as traditional large scale nuclear power plants. The small size of “Rosatom”-designed nuclear power plants, as well compliance with “post-Fukushima” requirements, make it possible to build them in hard-to-reach places, with limited infrastructure. There is currently a strong interest in these technologies globally and talking about Africa, I can add that for countries rich in natural resources SMR-based solutions will help to launch large mining projects as well as local beneficiation of raw materials in a affordable and timeous manner”, Ryan Collyer mentioned.
The other session with the participation of ROSATOM focused on skills for a just energy transition and how companies can unleash human potential through joint efforts and collaboration. Alexander Kormishin from “Rosatom Corporate Academy” spoke at this panel organized jointly by ROSATOM, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, and EW SETA. The speakers discussed the outcomes of the BRICS Energy Skills Report which was initiated by “Rosatom” and jointly prepared in 2023 under South Africa’s BRICS Chairship. The panelists also shared experience on the best practices that energy corporations have in the development of human potential and the right skillset for the just energy transition, and discussed the opportunities for future cooperation ahead of South Africa’s G20 Chairship in 2025.
The world’s attention is focused on the demand for power in Africa as the continent continues to grow rapidly, driving the need for more widespread and reliable power supply. The event discussed all aspects of power and bringing together the world’s leading power equipment suppliers to develop power infrastructure in this dynamic region of the world. Capacity reserve is virtually non-existent in Sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in outages and loadshedding, the region faces the real prospect of poor energy infrastructure hampering current and future economic growth. In addressing these challenges, the region faces a major shortage of trained engineering professionals.
Leading world energy companies, financiers, generation equipment and technology suppliers, energy consultants, construction and operation companies, power plant designers, manufacturers of equipment and many others gathered at the conference and exhibition to discuss the issue.
“The development of human potential and empowerment of people in the energy sector has played a pivotal role in accelerating the transition to clean energy. According to the BRICS Energy Skills Report 2023, the corporate environment for the development of human potential sets the new standard for raising employees’ work efficacy in the sector through embracing the role of communities, accessible education, mentorship, professional championships and leadership programs. An integral part of success in accessing innovation and best practices lies in cooperation, in particular on international level. We deeply appreciate South Africa’s thought leadership during its BRICS Chairship in 2023 in understanding the skills for energy transition and look forward to cooperating with all out partners on this crucial topic under South Africa's G20 Chairship in 2025,” Alexander Kormishin said.
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ROSATOM comprises over 400 enterprises and is one of the world leaders in the nuclear energy industry. “Rosatom” is the world’s second-largest company in terms of uranium reserves, the fifth-largest uranium producer and the world's fourth-largest producer of nuclear energy. It controls 40% of the world market of uranium enrichment services and 16.3% of the nuclear fuel market. The company is currently building Egypt’s first nuclear power plant, the El-Dabaa NPP, which will provide electricity to about 22 million people, a fifth of the country’s population and offers SMR-based solutions, including floating and land-based plants with a capacity of up to 300 MW.