COVER STORY | POWER PLANT DESIGN
Yakutia SMR plan progresses
Meeting the energy needs of remote mining communities is a key driver behind the development of small modular reactors (SMRs). One project that seems to be gathering pace is a plan to construct a first-of-a-kind small land based PWR in the Russian far east, based on marine reactor technology
Right: Visualisation of RITM-based small reactor installation in the Russian Arctic Source: Rosatom
THE PLAN TO BUILD A first-of-a-kind 55MWe/190MWt land based small modular reactor (SMR) in Yakutia (Ust-Yansky region), building on Russia’s nuclear ice-breaker and floating nuclear power plant experience, took another step forward in early September with the signing of an agreement between the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. The agreement
envisages that the new “Far Eastern Concession Mechanism” (supported by JSC VEB Infrastructure, a subsidiary of VEB. RF, a major Russian state investment corporation) could be employed to fund the project. This empowers the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East to conclude concession agreements with businesses for provision of key infrastructure projects. It is considered that construction of the SMR would help
to overcome one of the main infrastructural constraints holding back “promising commercial projects in the North- Yakutian Arctic area” by ensuring uninterrupted power supply and fixed prices for electricity. Under the new agreement, the parties also agree
Chukotka Ust-Yansky Magadan The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Krasnoyarsk Kamchatka Irkutsk Amur Khabarovsk Sakhalin
to develop a joint plan for “comprehensive social and economic development of Arctic territories in Yakutia”, with modernisation of the energy infrastructure and improvement of “the transport and social infrastructure of the Ust-Yansky region.” “It is not just the mere replacement of outdated coal and diesel energy sources with advanced and cleaner technologies”, said Aysen Nikolaev, Head of the Republic of Sakha, “we believe that this project will become the foundation for positive change in the Ust-Yansky region, and the Yakutian Arctic in general. The SMR NPP will breathe new life into all local industry, in particular tin, gold and silver projects, and in general, it will turn the region into a highly developed territory comfortable for people to work and live in.” The construction of an SMR in Ust-Yansky would reduce the district’s dependence on imported diesel, currently costing an estimated RUB5 million ($68,000) per 1000 tons, and would ensure efficient energy supply to the Kyuchus gold field project. Gold mining is energy-intensive and
38 | November 2021 |
www.neimagazine.com
Bashkortostan Zabaykalsky
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