Bangladesh to join atomic energy talks in Russia

Bangladesh is set to attend a three-day ministerial conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which starts in Russia's historic city of St Petersburg on June 27.
The conference hosted by Russia will mainly discuss the role of nuclear power in mitigating the effects of climate change and how to meet the growing global demand for energy.
Leading international nuclear experts, dozens of nuclear companies, government representatives from various countries will attend the conference, according to a statement.
“The conference in Russia may become a turning point in the global nuclear power industry,” said Yukiya Amano, director general of IAEA.
He would speak on how the industry plans to move forward in light of the 2011 accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.
During a pre-conference visit to Russia, Amano said: “By 2030, nuclear power generation, as a percentage of the world's total energy generating capacity, will grow by at least 23 percent, and according to the most optimistic projections, it will double.”
“Two years have passed since the events in Japan, and more and more new countries are declaring their readiness to build nuclear power plants.”
According to the IAEA, the world's total nuclear power capacity could grow by 80-90 gigawatt in the foreseeable future. Currently the world's 194 nuclear power plants operate with 437 units and have a total generating capacity of 372 GW.
One of the important themes of the conference will be the prospects for nuclear power generation in the context of the so-called "shale gas revolution" and the development of renewable energy sources.
The IAEA believes that neither alternative energy generation nor shale gas will be able to oust nuclear power generation from the global energy balance.
Of course, the share of renewable energy in the world's total generating capacity will increase, and that certainly has its advantages.
Major disadvantages of renewable energy are its high cost and the inability to use it to provide primary generating capacities.
Rosatom, the state nuclear energy corporation of Russia, has already received orders for the construction of 19 nuclear power units in various countries of the world.
By 2030, this portfolio is expected to grow to the worth of $80 billion.