The prospect of nuclear energy in Iran’s development
Iran's nuclear program is the subject of constant scrutiny and antagonism by the West but the country’s rationale for developing it is based on the perspective of national progress and growth and the need for nuclear energy in its economic and industrial sectors.
The vision plan is in line with ever-increasing energy demands around the world, and a necessity for countries to produce energy from clean and sustainable sources.
Today, with 400 gigawatts of installed capacity, nuclear energy is the first source of low-carbon electricity in advanced countries and the second in the world after hydropower.
While the momentum for a fossil fuel phase-out is growing and energy transition from traditional, non-renewable energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas to renewable and sustainable sources kicks in, many countries either plan to build or are already building power reactors.
Across the world, some 65 reactors are under construction and about 90 further reactors are planned, mostly in Asia.
In Europe, France which gets most of its power from nuclear reactors and eastern countries planning to expand their reactors, are strong proponents of low-carbon atomic energy as a way to cut emissions.
Nuclear power plants also generate about 20% of US electricity, where 93 nuclear reactors are operating.
Last year, the White House said then-president Joe Biden had called for a tripling of US nuclear power capacity to fuel energy demand that is accelerating in part due to expansion of power hungry technologies like artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
In West Asia, Saudi Arabia with its second-largest reserves of naturally occurring oil in the world, has ordered the construction of 16 nuclear reactors. This is while the West has always tried to fault Iran for developing a nuclear industry, citing the country’s rich oil and gas reserves.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has set a target to produce 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity by 2041 and achieve self-sufficiency in the production and export of nuclear energy.
The Bushehr nuclear power plant is the only operational reactor which produces 1.2% of the electricity used in the country, with its fuel provided by Russia.
Uranium enrichment, as a sensitive technology subject to tight international control, is a key pillar of Iran’s nuclear program which has ushered in a leap in the country’s quest to achieve scientific independence.
Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear energy, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) statutes and the fourth article of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Iran's reasons for scientific innovation and nuclear development are also totally justified and logical. Today, many advanced countries refuse to provide new technologies and sciences for civil society with greater functionality to those which lack them in a bid to keep them perennially dependent.
For example, Iran was denied uranium which it was entitled to as a joint owner in the French Eurodif international enrichment facility because of US pressure.
The nuclear industry is one of the strategic sectors essential to producing scientific power, fostering a new generation of experts, and the growth of industries related to the manufacture of nuclear equipment and facilities.
Iran’s application of nuclear knowledge has resulted in the establishment of numerous research, production and service centers and laboratories in various fields.
They include production of various radioisotopes, radiopharmaceuticals and lasers and enhancing productivity of agricultural species and commodities such as wheat, barley and cotton through the application of mutation breeding and biotechnology and irradiation to prevent agricultural waste.
In the petrochemical industry, it is used in the production of heatshrink components and in the strategic oil and gas sector, leaks in oil pipelines are detected using radioactive tracers.
The achievements are also applied to discover uranium, coal and other mines as well as oil and gas wells through airborne geophysical surveys.
The medical sector is another area where nuclear science is used in vaccinations and sterilization of health products in Iranian clinics and hospitals.
Over the past 10 years, Bushehr has produced 63 billion kilowatts hour of electricity, equivalent to 103 million barrels of crude oil worth more than $8 billion. This figure compares to $1.7 billion which Iran has spent to build the facility.
The nuclear industry is also a key asset in progression towards carbon neutrality. The electricity produced in Bushehr has prevented the emission of some 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a similar amount of airborne particles plus nearly the same amount of sulfur and nitrogen oxide.
Iran has been pursuing the peaceful use of nuclear energy for many years and has proven in good faith that it has no goal other than the peaceful and industrial use of the energy. This fact has repeatedly been confirmed by the IAEA through its most intensive inspections in the agency's history.
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