Rosenergoatom Concern Becomes Operating Company of Yakutsk

Rosenergoatom Concern, the power generation division of Russia's state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, has been designated as the operator of Yakutsk, the world's first land-based small modular reactor (SMR) being constructed in Yakutia. Russia's newly developed low-capacity RITM-200N water-cooled SMR represents an adaptation of innovative ship technology for land-based deployment. RITM-200 series reactors have been tested in the harsh conditions of the Arctic aboard the latest Russian icebreakers. Yakutsk will be considerably smaller than conventional nuclear power plants (NPP) and will be constructed in a shorter timeframe due to its compact size. Preparation work at the Ust-Kuiga settlement is proceeding at full pace. Work on the construction of the first worker camp (VGS-1) with a capacity of 250 people is nearing completion, while construction of the first phase of the second worker camp with capacity of 683 people—planned to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year—has begun. Work has also started on the construction of Road No. 1, a 12-kilometre highway connecting the Ust-Kuiga settlement to the Yakutsk site, and on the extraction of earth and stone materials from the Pridorozhny quarry. This year is also planned to see the start of construction of production and technical facilities as well as construction and assembly plants, site levelling work, and the main phase of construction and assembly operations. During the temporary winter route operating period, 9,500 tonnes of cargo is planned to be delivered to enable the planned work. Russia's Arctic region is one of the areas suffering from electricity shortages and where development is impossible without local energy sources. Given the strategic importance the state places on developing this region and because the construction of large power plants is not economically feasible in such areas, Rosatom decided to increase low-capacity generation projects in such regions. To this end, the floating nuclear power plant operating in the city of Pevek is addressing issues not only through the renewal of the capacity of Bilibino Nuclear Plant but also through the implementation of projects in the Baimsk ore zone. Rosatom and the Yakutia government signed an agreement in 2019 to construct the first land-based SMR Yakutsk. This project will provide the remote northern regions of Yakutia, the Kyuchus gold deposit, and other mineral deposits with a reliable and high-quality energy source for development. An important milestone in the realisation of this project was achieved in April 2023 with the receipt of a licence from Rostekhnadzor, the Federal Service for Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision of the Russian Federation. Source