16.04.2007 // RIA Novosti

The base section of the “Academic Lomonosov” floating NPP was officially laid in Severodvinsk on Sunday

Attending the ceremony, which took place in the 50th workshop of Sevmash plant, were the first vice premier of Russia Sergey Ivanov and the head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko, who signed a relevant memorandum.

“The base section of the floating NPP complies with all the criteria of the Maritime Register of Shipping of the Russian Federation. The section was laid in the 50th workshop of Sevmash on Apr 15 to serve as a basis for the further construction and testing of the plant,“ says the memorandum.

Ivanov and Kiriyenko fixed a foundation plaque to the section with blue screwdrivers to the music of the national anthem of the Russian Federation.

The first unit of the low-capacity floating NPP is to be made on the basis of the KLT40C reactor. The construction of the NPP is to be finished in 2010. The capacity of the plant is 70 MW. Most of the electricity produced by the NPP will be supplied to Sevmash, with 1/5 to be sold. The plant’s reactors have been designed by I.I. Afrikantov Experimental Design Bureau of Machine Building.

The cost of the project is $200mln. The NPP is expected to pay off in no more than 7 years after the launch.

80% of the financing is to be provided by Rosenergoatom, 20% — by Sevmash. In 2007 the project will receive 2.609bln RUR. In case of serial production, the construction of one floating NPP will take no more than 3 years. The pilot project is to last for 3.8 years.

The plant will be built at Sevmash and, then, transported to its site. Such plants can be used for both electricity and heat production and sea water desalination. One of its advantages is that they can be placed in any coastal area.

The plant can be operated without refueling for 12–15 years and is ecologically safe.

“Even the most serious accident, say, the damage of the active zone, will have no effects on the environment and the population outside a radius of 1 km,” says the chief designer of I.I.Afrikantov OKMB Oleg Samoylov.

Floating NPPs are supposed to be widely applied in regions lacking electricity and for projects requiring autonomous and uninterrupted energy supply.

The other purpose of the plant is desalination and, in this light, it is especially attractive for the island states of the Pacific Ocean: 12 countries have already showed an interest in the project.

By 2015 Rosenergoatom is planning to create a fleet of floating NPPs (7 plants). This project is expected to solve the problem of electricity shortfall in Russia’s northern regions. The concern is considering six possible sites for floating NPP construction, including Kamchatka, Chukotka, Jakutia and Krasnoyarsk region.

Sevmash is the biggest ship-building plant in Russia. Its specialization is the construction of nuclear submarines for the Russian Navy. The plant covers an area of 300 h, comprises over 100 sub-divisions and employs over 25,000 people. 

The contract for the construction of the first floating NPP in the world was signed by Rosenergoatom and Sevmash on June 14 2006.