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07 Jun 2024

Rosatom and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Have Signed an Agreement on Yakut Small Modular Reactor Nuclear Power Plant Capacity Loading

07 Jun 2024  by atommedia   
Rosatom State Corporation and the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) signed on the sidelines of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum–2024 an agreement of intent to create conditions for the efficient SMR NPP capacity loading as well as to develop electric power infrastructure within the project implementation.

The document was signed by Kirill Komarov, First Deputy CEO for the Corporate Development and International Business of Rosatom, and Kirill Bychkov, Chairman of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Government.

The Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) together with federal executive authorities and relevant agencies intends to create all the electric infrastructure required for the SMR NPP (distribution networks, power transmission lines and substations) in the Yakutian localities near the deposits of Deputatskoe, Tirekhtyakh and Kyuchus.

“It’s highly important that Yakut SMR NPP will provide stable and low-carbon generation for large industrial consumers, thus becoming the regional power center. Clearly, once the SMR NPP is commissioned, it is necessary to ensure its capacity loading will become possible following the establishing of new industrial enterprises as well as social and transportation infrastructure. This, in turn, will lead to the growth of the regional population. Taking into account the development of the current and perspective deposits of Yakut Ust-Yansk and Verkhoyansk Districts, the consumption of the mining factories will exceed 90 MW of electric capacity,” said Kirill Komarov, Rosatom First Deputy CEO for the Corporate Development and International Business.

“We will put every effort to support the development of the Arctic territories of Yakutia that have huge potential for creating a mining cluster. As for the electric power consumption by the population and equivalent consumer categories, it is planned to increase power supply up to 5 MW in Ust-Kuyga and 7 MW in Deputatsky. We also consider electric heating for Ust-Kuyga in the minimum volume of 2 MW. The estimations we have made with Rosatom show that 55 MW of capacity provided by one RITM-200N reactor unit will not be sufficient for the respected industrial cluster, that’s why we are working with federal ministries and agencies on the topic of transitioning to a two-unit design of the SMR NPP in Yakutia,” pointed out Kirill Bychkov, Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

ReferenceThe project for the construction of a Russian-designed SMR NPP utilizes the latest RITM-200N reactor plant which is based on many years of experience in operating small reactors on ships of the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet (over 400 reactor-years). Implementation of the SMR NPP project will ensure energy self-sufficiency and social and economic development of the Arctic Yakutia. Fuel supply for the SMR NPP is required once every 5 years, which ensures stable power supply to vital industrial enterprises and social facilities.

The SMR NPP will become the heart of one of the largest mineral resource centers in Russia which in the future will provide power to industrial enterprises. This involves development of the Kyuchus, Deputatskoye, and Tirekhtyakh deposits, construction of transportation and engineering infrastructure, social facilities in Ust-Yansk and Verkhoyansk Districts, and construction of a 110 (220) kV power transmission line Ust-Kuiga – Tirekhtyakh – Deputatsky. The SMR NPP project entails positive transformations in the township of Ust-Kuiga and Ust-Yansk District, which will create a developed area that is comfortable for work and life.

Modern NPP designs with RITM series reactors have a high level of safety, achieved through multi-level systems and shell barriers, as well as a combination of active and passive safety systems. These systems prevent the possibility of an accident, and several levels of barriers built into the design of the stations prevent the release of radioactive substances into the environment. SMR NPPs ensure the energy independence of the region, stable electricity and heat supply with clean energy. They can benefit energy-intensive industries, and reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere by replacing existing generation sources, in particular diesel ones.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is one of the most important events in the CIS economic space. The main theme of the SPIEF-2024 is ‘The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World’. Forum participants discuss the prospects for the development of healthcare and pharmaceuticals, the modern labour market, new technologies, the development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route, and much more. Rosatom is the title partner of the Forum in 2024.

The energy sector is the basis for the country’s progressive socio-economic development, as it supplies power to the industry enterprises and citizens. Russia’s fuel and energy complex continues to implement new projects and plan capacity upgrades. This work is carried out relying on modern trends of digitalization and imported equipment substitution. Rosatom, as Russia’s only global technology company, and its enterprises take an active part in this work.

Keywords

SMR

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