Laureates of the Global Energy Prize 2014 announced in Moscow
27th of March was one of the most important days of the year for energy science. The laureates of the prestigious Global Energy Prize were announced at an official press conference in Moscow. Outstanding Russian scholar academician Ashot Sarkisov, along with famous Swedish scientist Lars Larsson was awarded the Global Energy Prize for outstanding achievement in the field of energy.
- (1888PressRelease) March 29, 2014 - The press conference was opened by Pavel Korsunov, Deputy Chairman of the FGC UES (Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System), a member of the Global Energy Partnership. Mr. Korsunov stressed the importance of the award by saying, "It is an honor for the FGC to support the award. It is not the first year we are working in this direction and we link this project with innovation and fundamental science. Not so long ago, we have developed a long-term program of innovative development, which aims to increase the reliability, efficiency and security of the energy system".
Deputy General Director of Surgutneftegaz Vyacheslav Nikiforov announced the prize money, which in 2014 is 33 million rubles.
The winners of the 2014 award were determined at the meeting of the Global Energy's International Award Committee on the 25th of March and were kept secret to the last minute. For the first time in the history of the award the International Award Committee was headed by a foreign scientist - Nobel Prize laureateJohn Rodney Allam from the UK. The 2014 shortlist included seven people: Rakesh Agrawal (USA), Sergey Alexeenko ( Russia ), Eicke Weber ( Germany) , Lars Larsson (Sweden ), Jens Norskov (USA), Ashot Sarkisov ( Russia ) and James Speck (USA).
The laureates learned about their victory in a telephone conversation which was broadcast at the press conference. Lars Larsson of Sweden and Ashot Sarkisov from Russia were awarded for their outstanding contribution to the improvement of nuclear safety and decommissioning of nuclear facilities.
Academician Ashot Sarkisov is known as one of the founders of the Soviet nuclear fleet. In the past decades he has been developing another important aspect of nuclear energy science - increasing its security. For years, Mr. Sarkisov has been actively involved in the cooperation between the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of the United States on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. In 2004, Mr. Sarkisov led the development of a master plan for the disposal of decommissioned Russian nuclear fleet and remediation of hazardous elements of its infrastructure in the North-West of Russia.
According to Mr. Sarkisov, receiving the Global Energy Prize is a significant result of his many years of work on improving nuclear safety. He said, "I have lived a great life in the nuclear industry and devoted much of my work to this sphere, and today I am very pleased that my research was rated so highly. I am overwhelmed with emotions. Especially, I am pleased to share this award with such an outstanding scholar as Lars Larsson, with whom we have worked hard to improve the technology of nuclear waste disposal".
Prominent Swedish nuclear physicist Lars Larsson made a significant contribution to the study of the impact of nuclear power stations on the environment. Results of his research are especially in demand in the event of various emergencies. Mr. Larsson participated in the investigation and crisis management of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident in Pennsylvania in 1979. Professor Larsson also founded and became the head of the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate, which was responsible for the safety of all nuclear facilities in Sweden.
Mr. Larsson also worked on the restoration of normal background radiation in the Russian Arctic region. Currently, Russian Arctic waters contain a large number of submerged objects contaminated with radiation - a legacy of the Cold War. In 2003 a decision was made at an international level to completely destroy these objects.
Having learned about being awarded the Global Energy Prize, Professor Larsson expressed deep gratitude to the experts for their high appraisal of his work, and to the entire Non-profit Global Energy Partnership for its role in the development of energy science. Mr. Larsson said, "I can hardly express how I feel at the moment. I can say that my heart is overflowing with pride, joy and gratitude. I am particularly honored to be awarded in Russia - a country where I have met so many wonderful, outstanding scientists and engineers."
The prize money will be divided equally between Mr. Larsson and Mr. Sarkisov. The Global Energy Prize award ceremony is traditionally held on the 23rd of May within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The award is presented by the president of Russian Federation.
Since its inception 12 years ago, the 31 winners of the Global Energy Prize included scientists from the UK, Germany, Iceland, Canada, Russia, USA, Ukraine, France, Sweden and Japan.
For Additional Information:
Global Energy Prize press service:
+7 495 739 54 35, zalesskaya ( @ ) ge-prize dot org Julia Zalesskaya
www.globalenergyprize.org
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