RUSSIA
Russian floating nuclear plant nearly operational
October 1, 2019 - Russia’s first floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, which environmentalists dubbed “Chernobyl on ice”, is preparing to begin operations in the Arctic Far East.
The Akademik Lomonosov is a 140-metre-long towed platform that carries two 35-megawatt nuclear reactors. Moored at the Arctic port of Pevek on the Chukotka Peninsula, the vessel’s purpose is to provide power for the area, replacing the Bilibino nuclear power plant that is being decommissioned.
Environmentalists have criticised the project as inherently dangerous and a threat to the pristine Arctic region. Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has dismissed those concerns, insisting that the floating nuclear plant is safe to operate.