Big Step of a Small Atom

A new turn in the history of nuclear energy is taking place in the Far East.

Construction begins in the Ust-Yansky region of Yakutia first in the world ground-based low-power nuclear power plant (LNP).

The station is being built by JSC RAOS, a subsidiary of the state corporation Rosatom.

The ASMM project is based on the latest reactor plant RITM-200N. The unique Russian technology was created after testing and many years of operation by Rosatom of small reactors on ships of the nuclear icebreaker fleet.

Currently, eight RITM-200 reactors have been installed and are operating on four universal icebreakers. Based on this experience, Rosatom built the world’s first floating station Akademik Lomonosov in Chukotka.

And now — the next stage in the evolution of the product — the ground station.

Nuclear “babies” have a lot of advantages and therefore have a great future.

Thanks to the small volume of long-running fuel, SNPPs have predictable electricity costs for decades to come. And another convenience of a low-power nuclear power plant is that it is a modular station. Depending on the growth of needs, the number of installed modules can be increased.

“Kids” are indispensable for remote, hard-to-reach areas, where they can not only provide electricity, but also desalinate water and generate heat.

Of course, this is not a replacement for large nuclear power plants. But this is a radical expansion of an already established market — entering areas of the country and planet where the creation of large nuclear power plants is not economically, climatically or demographically feasible.

The choice of the Ust-Yansky region for the first ASMM was not accidental — the largest gold deposit will be developed there.

Commissioning of the Yakutsk nuclear power plant is planned for 2028.