Russia Plans Floating Small Nuclear Power Plant in Yakutia

Andrey Petrov, First Deputy CEO for Nuclear Energy at Rosatom and President of JSC Atomstroyexport, stated that Russia's Ministry of Energy has supported the advancement of a floating small nuclear power plant project in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum, Petrov noted that according to the relevant master plan, the Yakutia small nuclear power plant needs to be completed by 2031. The new option currently under study involves converting the originally planned land-based nuclear power plant into a floating nuclear power plant. He said the floating option offers lower costs and shorter construction timelines, and can meet Yakutia's current electricity demand of approximately 106 MW.

Earlier, Aysen Nikolayev, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), had discussed energy supply issues in the Far East region, particularly in Yakutia. Petrov stated that the floating small nuclear power plant is one of the solutions proposed to address local energy security needs.

The Yakutia small nuclear power plant project was originally planned to use the latest RITM-200N reactor unit. Rosatom and the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) signed a relevant agreement in 2019. Under the original plan, the project was to be built in the Ust-Yansky District along the Yana River, near the town of Ust-Kuyga, and was expected to become Russia's first land-based small nuclear power plant featuring a new design. This adjustment in the plan means that the subsequent construction format of the project may change.