Fuelling of world’s first floating nuclear power plant to begin in December
© RIA Novosti. Sergey Mamontov

Fuelling of world’s first floating nuclear power plant to begin in December

Akademik Lomonosov, the world's first floating nuclear power plant, will begin uploading fuel in December 2016, Interfax reported May 12, citing Pavel Ipatov, deputy general director for strategy and special projects management of Rosenergoatom.

Ipatov spoke about the construction of the floating nuclear station at a Murmansk forum on nuclear power in the Arctic. Mooring tests are scheduled for July this year, he said, while fuelling will begin in December. The power unit is expected to be ready for transport by October 2017.

The 70 MW floating power station will be moored by the town of Pevek on the Chukchi Peninsula, and is to replace the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant, which will gradually go offline starting in December 2018 continuing through December 2021. The main construction stage of coastal and hydrotechnical facilities in Pevek is to begin in May this year so that it will be completed in time for the August 2019 installation of the floating power unit. In September, Rosenergoatom plans to install the unit on its designated site. In October the plant will undergo testing before becoming fully operation in November 2019.

In December 2015, Baltic Shipyard and Rosenergoatom approved the updated schedule for the construction of the floating power plant.