On December 19, 2019, the floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) – a project developed by Rosenergoatom, part of Rosatom’s Electric Power Division – was first connected to the isolated Chaun-Bilibino grid. Since then, it has steadily increased its output.
As of December 19, 2024, the FNPP has supplied approximately 978 million kWh of electricity to the Chaun-Bilibino energy hub in Chukotka. This is sufficient to meet the entire region’s energy needs for more than a year.
Currently, nuclear power accounts for 88 % of the energy mix in the Chaun-Bilibino grid, with the FNPP contributing over 60 %. The plant’s consistent output growth demonstrates its capacity to handle increased demand, especially as the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant is scheduled for decommissioning in late 2025. The FNPP’s design capacity of 429 million kWh per year is crucial for offsetting the retiring capacity of the Bilibino plant (approximately 100 million kWh annually) and meeting the region’s growing energy demand, which saw a record 15% increase last year.
“Since our launch, we have consistently increased production. In 2020, we generated 127 million kWh, which grew to 175 million kWh in 2021 and 250 million kWh in 2024. Five years of successful operation in the Arctic and the Far North have given Rosatom invaluable expertise in managing such facilities. This experience has laid the foundation for Rosatom’s new projects in small nuclear energy, enabling the development of remote and isolated regions using Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology. In addition to the FNPP, Rosatom is also working on a new floating nuclear power plant with four reactors at Cape Nagleyynyn in Chukotka and a land-based SMR with the latest RITM-200 reactor in Ust-Kuyga, Yakutia,” said Andrey Zaslavsky, Acting Director of the FNPP.
