Effective Investment in Nuclear Power and Technology
May 13, 2021 / pwsadmin / Comments Off on Effective Investment in Nuclear Power and Technology
The Geopolitics of the Czech Nuclear Tender
Friday, May 7, 2021 – 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM EDT
The Czech Republic is about to make the most significant investment decision in its modern history: expansion of its nuclear power fleet. The decision will impact generations of Czechs and determine the competitiveness and resilience of its economy for decades. The tender has become a Great Power contest with Americans, Russians, Chinese, Koreans, and French jockeying to win the multi-billion-dollar contract.
In the heat of the Great Power rivalry, the topic of innovation has evaporated. Is older updated nuclear power (Generation 3 Plus) the right investment for Czechs in the 21st century? Will the rationale for investing today be valid in a decade? What other options do Czechs have in the innovative marketplace of evolving energy tech? What is the perspective of the U.S. military in light of the geopolitics of global energy? How do new technologies compare with Generation 3 Plus in terms of capital investment, return on investment, and lifecycle management expenses? Join the webinar where the Security and Sustainability Forum and the Richard Richards Foundation convene US technology, defense, geopolitics experts, and Czech government officials to discuss energy technology, economic and political issues, and impacts, and what the Czechs can learn from the Hungarian nuclear case.
Meet The Panel
Lukas Wagenknecht – Senator Wagenknecht is a Czech economist, auditor and government leader currently serving as Chairman of the Standing Senate Commission on the Supervision of the Provision of Public Funds and on the Analysis of Financial Administration Control Procedures. He has been a member of the Czech Senate since October 2018 as a member of the Czech Pirate Party. Senator Wagenknecht also co-founded the auditing organization and think tank Good Governance and was a contributor to Neovlivní.cz, a publisher of investigative journalism.
Pavel Fischer– Senator Fischer is a Czech politician and diplomat who was elected to the Senator in 2018. Previously he served as the Czech Ambassador to France from 2003 to 2010. He currently is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security.
Alex Beehler Mr. Beehler served as a primary advisor to the Department of Defense senior leadership for all matters related to energy and environmental policy, compliance, oversight, safety and coordination of energy security. He was the 16th U.S. Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army (Installations, Energy and Environment) and also served as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environment, Safety and Occupational Health).
Adam Cohen – Dr. Cohen is the President and CEO of Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), a non-profit that manages R&D institutions in the U.S. and Chile. Prior to joining AUI in 2017, Dr. Cohen served as the Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), overseeing basic science, applied energy research, technology development, and deployment efforts, including the stewardship of 13 of the 17 DOE National Laboratories. Dr. Cohen continues to serve as a Senior Associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Energy and National Security Program.Earlier in his career, he was a U.S. Navy submarine officer, and he worked at Babcock & Wilcox manufacturing nuclear fuel for research reactors.
András Simonyi – Ambassador Simonyi is a Senior Fellow at the Washington D.C. based Atlantic Council. A former Hungarian ambassador having served as ambassador to the United States between 2002 and 2007. He was also Hungary’s first ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Ambassador Simonyi is an Atlantic Council Fellow and leads the George Washington University’s Leadership in Our Time global forum. His professional focus is energy security and the role of the private sector in energy transitions.
In the heat of the Great Power rivalry, the topic of innovation has evaporated. Is older updated nuclear power (Generation 3 Plus) the right investment for Czechs in the 21st century? Will the rationale for investing today be valid in a decade? What other options do Czechs have in the innovative marketplace of evolving energy tech? What is the perspective of the U.S. military in light of the geopolitics of global energy? How do new technologies compare with Generation 3 Plus in terms of capital investment, return on investment, and lifecycle management expenses?
András Simonyi – Ambassador Simonyi is a Senior Fellow at the Washington D.C. based Atlantic Council. A former Hungarian ambassador having served as ambassador to the United States between 2002 and 2007. He was also Hungary’s first ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Ambassador Simonyi is an Atlantic Council Fellow and leads the George Washington University’s Leadership in Our Time global forum. His professional focus is energy security and the role of the private sector in energy transitions.