June 30, 2020 – Today the first heat from the floating nuclear power plant (FNPP, the plant of JSC “Concern Rosenergoatom”, ROSATOM’s energy division) was supplied to the 5th microdistrict of Pevek (Chukotka).
“So far, the floating nuclear power plant has only produced electricity. From now on, it produces two products: in addition to electricity, it also produces heat. The FNPP was originally designed to gradually replace Chukotka’s oldest coal-powered Chaun Thermal Power Plant, which was put into operation back in 1944,” – said Vitaly Trutnev, the head of Rosenergoatom’s Directorate for the Construction and Operation of Floating Nuclear Thermal Power Plants.
With the connection of the 5th microdistrict of Pevek 5, this part of the city is transferred to the so-called “closed system” of urban water supply. Traditionally, water supply in Pevek was carried out according to the “open scheme”, when the hot water to the apartments comes directly from the heating network. A distinctive disadvantage of such a system is that in case of a heat cut-off, hot water is also disconnected.
The connection of the rest of the city districts to the FNPP will be carried out in stages, as soon as the city heating networks are ready. As a result, in the near future the FNPP will be able to fully replace the Chaun CHPP.
For the reference:
The FNPP was fully commissioned on May 22, 2020 and officially became the 11th nuclear power plant in Russia and the northernmost one in the world. As of today, it has generated over 57 million kWh of electricity since its connection to the grid. The FNPP’s electric capacity is 70 MW, thermal capacity is up to 50 Gcal/h. Today the floating nuclear power plant covers about 30% of the Chaun-Bilibinskiy electrical generation system’s energy demand, and in the future, it will fully meet Chukotka’s growing demand for electricity, becoming a reliable source not only for the city of Pevek, but for the entire region.
