The Machine Building division of Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company, has completed construction of a 58 MWe capacity reactor unit. This is the first of the two reactors that will go into the construction of the first unit of Russia’s ambitious plan to build a floating nuclear power fleet.
As countries look to secure their energy future by shifting away from fossil fuels, they are increasingly moving towards nuclear fission plants. Interesting Engineering has previously reported how China is aggressively building nuclear power plants while also increasing its wind and solar installations.
Unlike renewable energy sources, whose output is unreliable and requires large-scale storage, nuclear power can be generated on demand. While there is the issue of radioactive waste, proponents of nuclear power point towards the carbon-free generation of abundant power possible in the short term, which allows countries to meet their net-zero goals.
In 2020, Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov, a floating nuclear power facility became operational. Featuring two KLT-40S nuclear reactors onboard, the facility has so far generated over 1.2 billion kWh of electricity, while saving 400,000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions.
The heat produced by the reactors is also repurposed to warm civilian homes in the Chaun-Bilibino power hub. From just a 20 percent contribution to the grid in 2020, the Akademik Lomonosov now supports 60 percent of the grid load in the power hub.
Buoyed by its success, Rosatom now plans an entire fleet of floating nuclear plants powered by a modified version of the RITM-200 reactors, the ones used on Russian icebreakers.
Rosatom’s recent confirmation regarding the completion of the first RITM-200C reactor marks the beginning of serial production of floating nuclear power plants. The Floating Power Units (FPU-106) will power a copper mining industrial cluster in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, making it the first project to be powered by such a power source.
The 58 MWe reactor, manufactured at the ZiO-Podolsk plant of the Machine Building Division, is one of the two reactors to be installed in the FPU fleet. The RITM-200 reactors were selected because they have proven effective in Arctic conditions.
The FPU-106 units are designed to deliver 106 MWe of output, with a refueling interval of 5-7 years and a service life of 40 years.
“Today, Russia is the only country with an operating floating nuclear power plant, and we intend to maintain our leadership in the development of small-scale technologies, offering innovative and low-carbon energy solutions to our partners in Russia and abroad,” said Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom in a press release.
Russia is confident that its floating power units will be able to meet current and potential energy shortages in remote nd offshore areas, not just in the country but also abroad. Rosatom is developing a floating power unit for international markets with a capacity of 100 MWe, 10-year refueling intervals, and a 60-year service life.
“Rosatom continues to expand its range of floating power units, and the completion of the first reactor for the lead floating nuclear power unit is a significant milestone,” concluded LIkhachev in the press release.
Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.
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