How did Russia create the first floating nuclear power station in the world?

The first floating nuclear power plant The world, built by Russia, began Friday a 5,000-kilometer journey in the Arctic, from Murmansk to the Russian Far East, despite fears of environmental defenders on the ground. consequences for this fragile region.

Designed to fuel the development of hydrocarbon production in very isolated areas, the "Akademik Lomonosov" He sailed from Murmansk, the port of the great Russian north where he was loaded with nuclear fuel, to Pevek, a small town in eastern Siberia, in the Chukotka Autonomous District.

The trip should last between four and six weeks, depending on the weather conditions and the quality of the ice on the road, although the Northeast Pbadage – which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean along the northern coast of Russia – is increasingly accessible. because of thaw caused by global warming.

"Akademik Lomonosov", on his own, 21,000 tons, will be towed for your trip. The plant has two reactors with a capacity of 35 megawatts each, similar to those of nuclear icebreakers, compared to more than 1,000 MW of new generation reactors.

During a visit of the AFP In May 2018, the vessel, 144 meters long and wide, with a crew of 69, sailed at an average speed of between 3.5 and 4.5 knots (6.5 to 8.3 km / h). ) and had worn brown and yellow colors.

Painted again with the Russian colors and the Rosatom Russian Nuclear Agency, the Akademik Lomonosov will be connected to Pevek on the local power grid and must be operational by the end of the year.

Although the population of this city does not exceed 5,000 inhabitants, the plant covers the consumption of 100,000 inhabitants and will serve mainly to feed the oil rigs settled in the region, where Russia wants to develop its oil production.

"Akademik Lomonosov", whose construction began in 2006 in St. Petersburg before being taken to Murmansk last year, will replace a nuclear power plant and an obsolete carbon factory.

"Titanic Nuclear"

Ecological badociations have been denouncing this project for years and warn of the dangers of "Chernobyl floating" or from one "Titanic Nuclear", while an explosion in August at a missile test base in the far north briefly increased radioactivity in the region.

"Any nuclear power station produces radioactive waste and may have an accident, but" Akademik Lomonosov "is also vulnerable to storms", says Rashid Alimov, of the Energy Department of Greenpeace Russia. Especially since the Arctic, the weather is extreme and unpredictable.

"The boat is being towed by other ships, so that in the event of a storm, there could be collisions." Rosatom plans to store the spent fuel on board […]any incident would have serious consequences for the fragile Arctic environment, not to mention that there was no nuclear cleanup infrastructure, "adds Alimov.

According to him, the Chukotka district, a gigantic region of only 50,000 inhabitants, "has enormous potential for development. wind power and a floating nuclear power plant is just too risky and too expensive to produce electricity. "

The idea of ​​a floating nuclear power plant It comes from the nuclear industry, which wants to reinvent itself in the face of stagnant market. He is currently developing small, modular and less expensive reactors to attract new customers.

They are inspired by shipbuilding, which uses nuclear energy to propel submarines, icebreakers or aircraft carriers, particularly in isolated areas with little infrastructure.

It's a simpler solution than building a clbadic plant on frozen ground all year round, according to Rosatom, who aspires to sell his floating factory abroad.