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Imagine a floating nuclear power plant the size of a football field sailing through icy Arctic waters towards one of the most remote places on the planet.
It sounds like a science fiction script, but Rosatom — Russia’s state nuclear corporation — has already turned this idea into operational reality and is now quadrupling down on the bet.
The destination of these four new nuclear barges is Cape Nagloynyn, in the Chukotka region, Russia’s far northeast, where temperatures can plummet to minus 50 degrees Celsius.
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There, a port will be built dedicated to receiving the platforms that will generate electricity for the gigantic Baimskaya mine, one of the world’s largest still-unexplored copper and gold deposits.
The Baimskaya mine and the insatiable thirst for energy at the end of the world
The Baimskaya mine holds estimated reserves of 23 million tons of copper and significant quantities of gold, making it a strategic asset for the Russian economy.
The problem is that no conventional power grid reaches that inhospitable region, where the nearest infrastructure is hundreds of kilometers away.
Operating crushers, off-road trucks, and mineral processing plants requires at least 300 MW of continuous power — energy equivalent to the consumption of a medium-sized city.
Transporting fossil fuel by land or sea there would be logistically expensive and environmentally risky, especially considering the extreme climatic conditions.
The solution Russia found was to literally put nuclear reactors inside ships and tow them to the mining site.
Four barges with eight RITM-200S reactors: the project’s numbers
Each of the four nuclear barges will have two RITM-200S reactors, the stationary version of the reactor that already equips the most modern icebreakers in the Russian fleet.
Together, the four units will provide approximately 420 MW of electrical capacity, more than enough to power the entire Baimskaya operation and port infrastructure.
Each barge measures 140 meters long by 30 meters wide — dimensions comparable to a medium-sized cruise ship, according to data released by Rosatom.
The empty weight of each hull is 9,549 tons, but when equipped with reactors, containment systems, auxiliary diesel tanks, and radioactive waste storage, it reaches 19,088 tons.
The RITM-200S reactors are of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) type, with a projected lifespan of 60 years and fuel reloading cycles approximately every 10 years.
Why Russia chose a Chinese shipyard to build its nuclear power plants
In a decision that surprised industry analysts, Rosatom contracted the Chinese company Wison Heavy Industries, based in Nantong, to manufacture the hulls of the barges.
The choice was made through an international competitive tender, in which Wison surpassed proposals from Russian and South Korean shipyards in both price and delivery time.
The keel-laying ceremony for the first barge has already been held at the Nantong shipyard, marking the official start of the project’s shipbuilding phase.
The hulls will be delivered to Atomenergomash, Rosatom’s engineering subsidiary, which will install the reactors and all nuclear systems in Russia.
This division of labor — hull in China, nuclear core in Russia — reflects both the pursuit of cost competitiveness and the need to maintain control over sensitive technology.
The schedule foresees the first unit being operational by 2027, with the others being delivered sequentially in the following years.
Akademik Lomonosov: proof that floating nuclear power plants work
Anchored in the port of Pevek, in the same Chukotka region, the Akademik Lomonosov entered commercial operation in May 2020 and has not stopped since.
Equipped with two KLT-40S reactors derived from icebreaker propulsion systems, the vessel provides 70 MW of electricity and urban heating for the city of Pevek.
In 2024, the floating power plant reached the historic milestone of 1 billion kilowatt-hours generated, demonstrating operational reliability after almost five years of continuous operation.
Today, the Akademik Lomonosov supplies about 60% of all energy consumed in the western Chukotka region and in the city of Chersky, in neighboring Yakutia.
Its operational success is precisely what gave Rosatom the confidence to scale the concept with larger and more powerful reactors in the Baimskaya project.
The strategic advantages of a power plant that can be towed
The main advantage of a floating nuclear power plant is its mobility — it can be built in a shipyard with robust infrastructure and then transported to where energy is needed.
This eliminates the need to build permanent concrete foundations on frozen ground (permafrost), which is melting at an accelerated rate due to climate change in the Arctic.
At the end of its useful life, the barge can be towed back to a shipyard for controlled decommissioning, preventing nuclear waste from remaining in remote areas.
Furthermore, floating power plants can be repositioned to meet other demands if the mine depletes its resources or the operation is shut down.
From a geopolitical standpoint, the project also reinforces Russia’s presence in the Arctic, a region where the struggle for mineral resources and trade routes intensifies each year.
The challenges and risks the project still needs to overcome
Despite the positive track record of the Akademik Lomonosov, environmentalists warn of the risks of operating nuclear reactors in sensitive polar waters.
A potential radioactive leak in the Arctic would have devastating consequences for marine ecosystems already stressed by global warming and ocean acidification.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards require rigorous safety standards, and operation in icy waters adds complexity to equipment maintenance.
There are also logistical issues: the supply of nuclear fuel and the replacement of irradiated elements in such remote locations require meticulous planning and specialized vessels.
International sanctions imposed on Russia since 2022 complicate the procurement of Western electronic components and control systems, although the partnership with China mitigates part of this obstacle.
What this means for the global energy and mining market
The Baimskaya project signals a trend that could redefine the energy matrix of industrial operations in remote regions around the world.
If the four Russian floating power plants demonstrate economic viability and operational safety, other countries with isolated mines may follow suit.
Rosatom is already in talks with nations interested in acquiring floating nuclear power plants for their own use, including countries in Southeast Asia and Africa.
According to World Nuclear News, the Russian state corporation sees a potential market of dozens of units in the coming decades.
For the copper mining sector, demand is only expected to grow with global electrification — electric vehicles, smart grids, and renewable energy heavily depend on this metal.
Project timeline and next steps
The official calendar foresees the following stages for the installation of floating nuclear power plants at Cape Nagloynyn:
- 2025-2026: Construction of the four hulls at the Wison shipyard in Nantong, China
- 2026-2027: Transfer of hulls to Russia and installation of RITM-200S reactors
- 2027: First unit operational at Cape Nagloynyn
- 2028-2029: Entry into operation of the remaining three units
- 2030+: Full operation with 420 MW capacity
Rosatom reported that nuclear fuel tests for the RITM-200S reactors have already been successfully completed, removing one of the main technical uncertainties of the project.
The total investment in the complex — including the port, floating power plants, and mining infrastructure — is estimated at several billion dollars, financed by a combination of state and private capital.
If all goes according to plan, Cape Nagloynyn will become the world’s largest complex of floating nuclear power plants, surpassing anything ever built in the history of nuclear energy.
This article was prepared based on information published by Rosatom, World Nuclear News, and Global Energy Monitor. Technical data may change as the project progresses.
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