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It needs, however, government support, private initiative and less bureaucracy
This Thursday (10/11) ended the XIII International Seminar on Nuclear Energy, held at the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan), in the center of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. There were three days of debates, lectures and round tables, with renowned experts, on the most relevant topics in the sector: environment, business opportunities, regulation, laws, supply chain, communication, technology creation, workforce training, support from the private market and the government. The summary: Brazilian nuclear energy wants, must and has the conditions to grow, create technology, jobs and quality investment. But it needs support from the government, the private sector and less bureaucratic obstacles.
On the last day, the 5th Meeting on Communication in the Nuclear Sector was held, whose objective was to find ways to explain the various benefits of nuclear energy and reduce its reputation as an environmental villain. According to the experts who participated in the event, atomic energy is clean, safe, and can and should contribute to the energy transition the planet is going through. “Nuclear energy is the straight A student. It's clean, safe, but it's not well accepted. The emission of gases it causes is lower than that of solar energy,” said Larissa Pinheiro, representative of the NGO Mulheres do Setor Nuclear, and CEO of startup Radion.
Larissa brought worrying news about the future of climate on the planet. She explained that the big problem is the speed of damage being done to the atmosphere. During the pandemic, when the Earth practically stopped, Larissa says that the emission of CO2 was reduced by only 5%. And 75% of this emission comes from energy production. Improving the efficiency of communication was one of the strategies defended by Larissa. “Climate change is about people's quality of life. And nuclear power can contribute,” she said.
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In the debate “Sustainability at the heart of communication in the nuclear sector”, mediated by journalist Tânia Malheiros, journalist and editorial consultant at Plataforma Megawhat, Rodrigo Polito, agreed with Larissa. The issue of communication is fundamental for the development of Brazilian nuclear energy. But it must be different and dynamic. The traditional model will not work. “There is a positive path to nuclear energy because of the problems we face with the climate. If the battle is climate change, there is no way not to consider it”, argued Rodrigo.
Ignorance brings a bad reputation to nuclear energy
The communication adviser at the Energy and Nuclear Research Institute (Ipen), Ana Paula Artaxo, believes that the topic attracts the press when something negative happens, such as accidents. She analyzes that the pandemic period, however, reaffirmed the importance of science for a large portion of the population. Ana agrees that communication is one of the necessary paths, but defends the inclusion of science education in the school curriculum. “A sacred image was recovered with gamma-ray treatment. Nuclear power also helps preserve a country's memory. She is on a daily basis. It is through familiarity that we will be able to communicate it to the citizen”, she opines.
We will be able to hold global warming, in the best scenario, at the target of 1,50C?, asks the Director of Global Nuclear Strategy of the Clean Air Task Force, Carlos Leipner. He believes that, no matter how much we do to contain carbon, the future is not very promising. The world needs more and more energy. And our dependence on fossil fuels remains at 80%, after 20 years of investing in alternative inputs. The challenge is huge and requires aggressiveness, he says. Carlos ponders that the nuclear energy tool is not the only one we have in the box, but it cannot be ignored. “In a decade, France has changed its energy matrix. About 70% come from nuclear power plants. So it's possible if you want to invest,” he said.
Nuclear fusion in Brazil?
Hardly anyone knows that in Brazil there is a group working on nuclear fusion. The lament comes from the moderator of the Panel “The era of nuclear fusion”, the technical coordinator of Amazul, Leonardo Dalaqua. But have. Gustavo Paganinni Canal, from the Plasma Physics Laboratory at the Institute of Physics (IF/USP) explains that the work is foreseen in the Nuclear Fusion Program, of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, which brings together 25 researchers from different areas. The idea is to develop everything in Brazil, without bringing anything from abroad. Develop national technology. There are already projects developed, ready for the market, but the national industry resists. “The development of superconducting coils is crucial for nuclear fusion, but it is also of great interest for other areas. The world today invests US$ 4,8 billion in nuclear fusion research; 2% are public, the rest are private,” he calculates.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Paulo Alvim, representatives of ABDAN (Brazilian Association for the Development of Nuclear Activities), the Deputy Director General and Head of the Nuclear Energy Department of the International Nuclear Energy Agency participated in the XIII SIEN, among others. – AIEA, Mikhail Chudakov, the presidents of ENBPar, Ney Zanella, of CNEN, Paulo Roberto Pertusi, of Eletronuclear, Eduardo de Souza Grivot Grand Court, of NUCLEP, Carlos Seixas; and INB, Carlos Freire, in addition to the Technical Director of Amazul, Carlos Alberto Matias, the CEO of the Brazilian Institute of Mining, Raul Jungmann, and the specialist in the management of Oil, Gas and Naval Firjan Savio Bueno Guimarães.
With Nelza Oliveira | First Line Communications
