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Strong international interest in Russian floating nuclear power plant project
05.10.2016
A ceremony to drive the leader pile into the foundation of the shore infrastructure for the world’s only floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov took place in Russia’s northernmost city of Pevek on 4 October. Representatives of Rosenergoatom (Rosatom’s division in charge of operating all the Russian nuclear power plant) said that the floating nuclear power plant will be commissioned by 2019 to become the world’s northernmost nuclear power plant. At present the Bilibino nuclear power plant located in the Chukotka Peninsula holds the title. Chukotka Autonomous District Governor Roman Kopin, Rosenergoatom representatives, Head of the Directorate for Building and Operating the Floating Nuclear Power Plant Sergei Zavyalov and other officials took part in the pile-driving ceremony.
Ivan Andriyevsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the engineering company 2K, told media that the leader pile was driven as part of the final stage of the project implementation. Thus, Rosatom has virtually finished the project that has led to so many debates and contradictions. A lot of arguments have been voiced about the project’s cost, about its effectiveness and safety, whether the project is needed or not. The project is now in the home stretch. Investments have been made, safety parameters have been checked while effectiveness will be evaluated post-factum.
On the one hand, the output capacity of the floating nuclear power plant will not be that large and the cost of the energy it will generate may look expensive if compared with the average cost. On the other hand, building a similar nuclear power plant that far north can be a costly proposition. In the end the cost of energy does not look excessive. Then, it will be the world’s first floating nuclear power plant and therefore budget overruns are possible. It is already possible to build a cheaper yet more powerful floating nuclear power plant. All these factors open opportunities for using floating nuclear power plants in various parts of the world.
A number of countries show their interest in the project. The operation of the Russian floating nuclear power plant will be closely monitored all over the world. Asian-Oceanic countries take a live interest in the Russian project, considering their options of supplying energy to shore areas. Middle East countries could use a floating nuclear power plant for water distillation. On the whole, the project has good prospects of sprouting a series of floating nuclear power plants. The unique technologies the project utilizes will open new markets for Rosatom and the Russian shipbuilding industry.
At the same time the floating nuclear power plant will come in handy in Russia’s far north. A floating nuclear power plant represents a reliable source of electricity, which in turn is viewed as the foundation for the economic development of the region. Apart from that, the development of floating nuclear power plants will become part of larger projects of national importance such as the development of the Northern Sea Route and the development of resources of the Arctic sea shelf.
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