Between 11-13 June, Lars van Dassen, Executive Director of WINS, provided opening and closing remarks at the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) conference held in Seoul, South Korea.
The FIRST Programme is a U.S. government initiative involving multiple agencies, designed to offer capacity-building support for partner nations aiming to safely and responsibly develop small modular reactors (SMRs) or other advanced reactor technologies.
During his opening remarks, Mr van Dassen underscored the significance of collaboration in nuclear energy development:
Dear colleagues,
It is morning in Seoul and evening in many other places. In Ukraine, it is night. We live in difficult and turbulent times, and it seems like things are getting worse each day. That we meet here and speak about SMR (small modular reactor) technology and the development and deployment of new nuclear technology – is an expression of hope and optimism. We have to nurture and appreciate this.
There might be those who think we are naïve and short-sighted as there is an international dynamic that makes it hard to plan and predict things. But I think that we have to turn things around and think and say that because we dare – then we also plan and that also implies that we create stability and expectations for the years to come. With that, other things follow, such as technology development, relations between States and – not least – the ability of humans to combat common challenges, such as climate change.
With this meeting, and our optimism, we are also demonstrating that we think that human capabilities, new training and education, strengthened professional development for larger groups of people in more countries has something of substance to offer – not only for the individuals involved and receiving training – but for all countries, people and individuals.
So, this room is in fact full of people who have made up their minds that they want to make a contribution; are ready to push up their sleeves and when they see a light in the tunnel it is not the light from a train coming towards them – but the light provided by nuclear energy. And all of you and all of us come from countries and organisations that have made the choice to look ahead. In that we also can say: “we count our friends, and we count on our friends”.
We count our friends because friends can influence each other in a good way. We can achieve something, send signals of confidence and optimism and share ideas. The other side of the coin is that we don’t count our enemies because they are not relevant. We cannot use our enemies for anything positive or lasting. And we count on our friends in the knowledge that friendships and partnerships benefit from repeated interaction and things only get better.
The development of nuclear energy demands stable relations, predictability, trust and confidence. No matter where nuclear energy is being developed, it will involve the cooperation of research institutes, regulators, vendors, buyers and operators from many countries and organisations. That demands of everyone on a nuclear energy track to look closely at who the partners are. Is it possible to hope that the company and its host State will still be around in 75 years? Will they be solvent, can they provide services and materials in the future as they can today? Even if there is no guarantee, these issues must be considered thoroughly.
You may ask why trusting relations are so important as the base for the development of nuclear energy? It is because of the complexities: the need to consider nuclear safety, security, materials accounting and radiation protection etc. This makes it necessary to share with others and learn from others. And with whom would you want to share your innermost secrets and even vulnerabilities – there you have it, you can and should only do this among partners that are trusted.
I look forward to what lies before us these three days. I will make sure to contribute to issues specifically related to nuclear security as that is my organisation’s – WINS’ – domain. I look forward to all the discussions. It is only people who meet each other who are able to learn from one another. I look forward to doing exactly that with you all. Thank you.
In closing out the conference, Mr van Dassen said the following:
This conference has been of immense value to all who are here. That is what people have said and what I heard people talk about between the sessions. For WINS it has – again – been an immense pleasure to plan and organise everything in cooperation with CRDF Global. CRDF and WINS are very close, and we complement each other in meaningful ways, bringing content and format together in a great manner. For WINS, CRDF is a “preferred partner.” We will continue to deepen this relationship as our efforts are needed in the world. We will meet in three weeks’ time in Washington DC to discuss exactly this!
It is important for me to mention that this conference exists because the US has a vision. Others of us can also have a vision but for it to materialise, it takes substance, mission control and dedication. And it is decisive to have an optimistic view of what the world is, can be and can do – and no one does this better than the US – period. It is just to look at the series of FIRST activities that have been and are coming to understand the ambition that is behind it all. The world needs this and I am sure that I speak for us all when I say that it is an honour for everyone here to be part of the efforts.
There are many issues that have been presented and discussed these three days. I will say that I have heard two very important things related to SMRs. First, it is a technology that is a suitable – if not perfect – component in a national electricity production system that also wants to have a large focus on renewable energy. The nuclear energy provides the base-load energy production that stabilises the grid and allows for a large share of renewable energy, to balance the uneven production levels from wind and solar energy production, for example. Second, SMRs are suitable for smaller and local grids. This contrasts with conventional nuclear power plants that demand large investments in adequate grid capacity and this can make the change to nuclear energy prohibitive. But for SMRs, it is different; there is a fair chance that these will fit into existing grid structures.
It is important for us to remember one thing: the richest countries in the world are those who produce the most electricity. That can be because a developed economy makes electricity production possible and necessary. But it can also be the other way around. Either way, SMRs can somehow break the spell that exists in many developing States and in many remote regions as electricity can suddenly be provided in a reliable manner.
An important part of this reliability will have to be provided by the necessary nuclear security measures for the SMRs and the infrastructure. Here it is important to make sure as has been discussed these days that nuclear security measures for facilities are not seen as obstacles and “unnecessary costs” but as measures that create reassurance for people inside and around the facilities in question. When there is this confidence that things are safe and secure – that is when nuclear energy can make a real contribution to communities and the world.
If we think of human development and evolution then humans have first developed small boats, small tools, built small bridges. With time and increased knowledge and experience, boats have become ships with ores, sails and later coal and combustion engines. Bridges would for thousands of years span a creek of a couple of meters until the Romans and others made them longer and longer. Today, there is a new bridge every decade that is longer than before. In this, nuclear energy is a little bit of an anomaly. The biggest nuclear power plants were built first and “big size” and economy of scale were considered prime values. Now we start to see it differently. That “small is beautiful”, that energy infrastructure has to adapt to circumstances and needs and not necessarily that the promethean gene sets and decides the pace and existence of nuclear infrastructure. This is a tendency that is little talked about but one we should appreciate. In general, this more subtle nuclear energy use should make many things easier in terms of construction, use and public acceptance.
Finally, it is important to underline how essential cooperation is in the nuclear field. It does not matter whether it is for nuclear energy production or nuclear security – irrespective of the focus, cooperation and strategies for cooperation are important. That is what we have done here and what we will do again and again; and with it we will be successful.
I thank you for your attention.
