Dinara Ermakova, Nuclear Advocate, Radioactive "Waste" Specialist June 24'
Dinara Ermakova, Nuclear Advocate, Radioactive“Waste” Specialist
Dinara Ermakova, Communications and Outreach Consultant for the Anthropocene Institute.
Meet Dinara (PhD), the Degree Clad Waste Specialist Fighting for an Environmental Just Energy Transition
Dr. Dinara Ermakova, a nuclear engineer specializing in waste management and public policy, is driven to deliver environmental policies that secure environmental justice and a greener future. With the Anthropocene Institute, Ermakova engages in community outreach, attends global conferences on climate change, cleantech, and advocates for nuclear energy as a science communicator. She is also a co-founder of PowerTechs, a startup focused on addressing clean energy skill shortages, Innovation Chair at IYNC and volunteers her time as a mentor and nuclear advocate with Generation Atomic.
Dr. Ermakova grew up in Kazakhstan where she said public opinion is decidedly against nuclear power, largely due to a history of Soviet nuclear weapon testing. Populations near the test site, which itself was uninhabited, but the winds carried the post-explosion dust and fallout into nearby villages, where people were not informed of the health risks, and little was done to shield people from exposure, Ermakova said. Amongst this background, she too was anti-nuclear, but her beliefs were challenged in university classes. The path toward a nuclear career began with a desire to help people and attain a higher standard of living. Ermakova knew cancer was treated with nuclear technology and radiology is a lucrative and well-respected career in Kazakhstan, so she set out to enter the field.
While studying nuclear physics at L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan, Ermakova encountered reactors that produced medical isotopes, but also reactors that could produce electricity. Nuclear’s vast applicability inspired her to dive deep into nuclear energy, amazed at the energy potential, and tiny land footprint.
As an exchange student at the University Santiago de Compostella, Spain, Ermakova explored climate change, renewables, and the electricity grid, emerging with a conviction that nuclear energy would be vital for decarbonization efforts, especially for a country like Kazakhstan with a need for district heating and growing electricity demand
“The potential of nuclear was impossible to match, especially for countries that don't have enough solar potential, and need for district heating at least 6 months in a year,” Ermakova said.
Ermakova said she believes too much energy communication currently focuses on the developed world, neglecting developing countries like Kazakhstan. According to Ermakova, there is an imbalance of economic development rights, with developed countries pressuring developing countries to cut consumption for the sake of the environment.
“We put too much emphasis on the developed world. That gives a lot of imbalance,” Ermakova said. “Developing countries have all rights to use as much energy as say the US did, the UK, France, and so on, to get to the point of development that they are enjoying right now.”
Electricity provides crucial services to hospitals, schools, and manufacturing. Access to electricity correlates with higher education levels, lower mortality rates, and a stronger health system. Ermakova believes developing countries have a right to pursue electrical development to achieve such standards of living.
Ermakova added that each country is unique, with different climate resources, and they all require a tailored approach. Many countries are not suitable for wind and solar. For instance, Kazakhstan can have almost half a year of snow, and large periods of cloud and rain, making solar a poor choice. If a country is large, with sufficient land to not compromise the agricultural sector, Ermakova said solar energy may make sense.
“But if the country is small and they need to choose between developing the agricultural sector and making sure that the people have access to food, versus putting up solar panels, that's a very, very dark road to go (down), there should not be such a discussion on a first place,” Ermakova said.
However, despite 20 years of discussion around building new nuclear plants, poor communication, and heavy opposition have precluded any progress on nuclear energy in Kazakhstan. However, the country relies on an aging fleet of gas and coal plants, and demand is growing due to population growth and due to the fact that many crypto miners capitalizing on cheap electricity, which in 2021 was consuming more than 7% of the entire generating capacity of Kazakhstan. Ermakova said nuclear may be in the cards for Kazakhstan moving forward – Russia, Korea, France, China, and United States could potentially serve as suppliers.
Fear of nuclear, including the waste “problem”, has been responsible for much of the opposition to nuclear power, like that seen in Kazakhstan. But a course at MIT convinced Ermakova that nuclear waste management is not a technical issue, but rather a public perception and public policy issue.
Her feelings became cemented with an Oak Ridge Laboratory internship, where she conducted fuel cycle analysis, concluding “Oh, my God. There is no problem with nuclear waste.”
“Why the hell do we put so much effort into that particular problem?” Ermakova said. “And then, as you go into studying politics, how much of a political vehicle it is in the argument, and it makes sense.”
The nuclear industry already possesses the technical solutions and only needs to execute at scale, according to Ermakova. The industry needs to better communicate that waste disposal sites are business opportunities for communities, Ermakova said. Sites bring jobs, infrastructural development, roads, hospitals, and engineering educational opportunities for kids.
Unlike almost every other industry, nuclear manages, tracks, and is responsible for all of the waste that it produces. Ermakova said that due to over-regulation, the process becomes expensive, often leading to the need for government support.
Ermakova said she supports geological repositories (underground facilities intended for long-term storage), but there is so much unused material in a spent fuel and it is indeed a waste not to extract usable materials before disposal. Most nuclear plants do not recycle fuel, leaving around 96% of uranium in spent fuel. “Why do we even think about putting it on the ground?” Ermakova said.
States that ban nuclear construction based on the lack of a nuclear-spent fuel disposal site present a large and unnecessary obstacle to nuclear within the United States, according to Ermakova. Ermakova said the DOE is responsible for building a disposal site, yet the public was against of Yucca Mountain project and the new site was not selected.
Outside of her focus and communication on used fuel, Ermakova has long advocated for clean, abundant energy. In her time as a UC Berkeley PhD candidate, Ermakova rose to be the co-president of the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC), one of the largest student-led energy-focused energy organizations in the US.
The group focuses on education on problems and solutions to the fields of energy and resources. Ermakova ensured that nuclear energy was discussed as a vital tool in the fight against climate change. Ermakova highlighted the importance of Diablo Canyon in the California energy discussion within the group.
Dinara Ermakova (left) with Katy Huff, the US Assistant for Nuclear Energy at COP 27.
Ermakova’s advocacy is not confined to California. Her work, as the Nuclear Communications and Outreach Consultant for the Anthropocene Institute has taken her to the last three COP’s (27, 28, 29). Over the last three years, she has seen a shift, with greater recognition of nuclear’s environmental importance.
“(COP 28) in UAE sent a strong message that nuclear can be an investment project, and this is the message UAEare sharing with the world,” Ermakova said. “The (UAE) is very rich, and they choose to clean up their grid as soon as possible. I think this is a good example to the rest of the world, especially the world that has resources to clean up the grid quickly, especially the United States, EU and China.”
In contrast to Dubai in 2023, where nuclear power was clearly in the discussion, at Glasgow, in 2021, it was not mentioned that the conference was powered by nuclear energy.
Ermakova appreciates the newfound support for nuclear, but the policy pledges are the easy part. Building nuclear at scale, with public support, is the real challenge. Ermakova remains firm in her conviction that nuclear energy is the key to achieving a higher standard of global living.
A shift in communication, and one that centers the needs of developing countries will be key to seeing the type of change Ermakova desires to see.
“It comes to just basic access to electricity, to medical facilities, to fridges, AC and electricity in a school,” Ermakova said. “You just don't hear those stories, because most of the communication happening is coming from the Global North and then Global South is left behind or left with the ideas forced on them.