The ceremony of driving the first pile at the construction site of the coastal infrastructure for the world’s first floating nuclear heat and power plant (FNHPP) Akademik Lomonosov has been held today, 4 October 2016, at port Pevek (Chukotka Autonomous Region), says PR Department of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC.
FNHPP is to be put in operation in 2019. It will be the world’s northernmost NPP. As of today, the northernmost nuclear power plant is Bilibinskaya NPP, also located in Chukotka, in the permafrost area.
The ceremony dedicated to the beginning of construction works was attended by Chukotka Governor Roman Kopin and Rosenergoatom representatives: Pavel Ivatov, Deputy CEO – Special Projects and Initiatives Director, and Sergey Zavyalov, Head of FNHPP Construction and Operation Directorate.
The floating power block has been undergoing basin trials since July 2016 to verify its working capacity and compliance with the project equipment and systems’ parameters. The basin trials are planned to be completed by late October 2017. Afterwards, the FNHPP “Lomonosov” will be fully finalized, dispatched to its operation point via the Northern Sea Route, and connected to the coastal utilities constructed in the Pevek port. The power block should be ready for transportation by late 2017. Rosenergoatom is planning to start its installation at the designed spot in September 2019, which is to be followed by FNHPP’s trials and operational launch.
The floating power block named after Lomonosov and constructed pursuant to the 20870 project is designed to operate as a part of the floating nuclear and heat power plant (FNHPP). The latter is equipped with KLT-40C reactor units that can produce up to 70 megawatts of electric power and up to 50 Gcal/hr of heat power during its normal operation, which is enough to support a city with about 100,000 citizens.
The floating power block can be operated in the Far North and the Far East. The main floating power block named after Lomonosov is being constructed for the floating nuclear and heat power plant in the city of Pevek located in the Chukotka Autonomous Region. This power block is the world’s first project for a mobile transportable low-capacity power block. Its main goal is to supply power to major manufacturing companies, port cities, and the offshore oil and gas platforms.
The floating power block with the displacement capacity of 21.5 thousand tons can be used as a water distiller producing up to 240 thousand cubic meters of water daily. Its designed life span is 35-40 years. The reactors can be re-charged every 2.5-3 years. The power block can be handled by a team of around 70 people.
The FNHPP is conservatively loaded, with its safety margin exceeding any possible threats and making the nuclear reactors invulnerable to tsunamis and other natural disasters. Besides, the nuclear processes at the vessels comply with all IAEA standards and do not pose any danger to the environment.
The Rosenergoatom Concern’s affiliate company, the Floating nuclear and heat power stations’ construction and operation administration, is the owner and the developer of the main FNHPP.
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