The
ZiO-Podolsk plant near Moscow (Rosatom's Mechanical Engineering Division) has manufactured
the first RITM-200C reactor unit for the lead floating nuclear power unit
(FPU-106). Rosatom is building a series of FPUs for a copper mining cluster in
the Far East. This is the world's first project to supply green energy to
industrial production from floating power units.
With the RITM completed, Rosatom will soon be able to enter the next phase and start installing power equipment into the hull.
“Rosatom continues to expand its line of floating power units, and the completion of the first reactor for the lead floating unit, FPU-106, is an important milestone on this path. Today, Russia is the only country with an operating floating nuclear power plant, and we intend to maintain our leadership in the development of small-scale power technologies by offering innovative, low-carbon energy solutions to partners in Russia and abroad," said Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation.
Floating power units offer all the advantages of large NPPs — clean,
reliable, and efficient. Meanwhile, they are easier to integrate into the
existing power grid and offer greater flexibility for capacity expansion, with
the number of units scalable to meet growing electricity demand. For end users,
the FPU will secure a long-term tariff despite volatility in energy prices.
The FPU-106 floating power unit features two RITM-200C reactor cores, each delivering 58 MW of electrical output. RITM-200C is a modification of RITM-200, already powering the latest generation of 22220 nuclear icebreakers — the Arktika, Sibir, Ural, and Yakutia. All reactor units for nuclear-powered icebreakers have rolled off the production lines of Rosatom's Mechanical Engineering Division.
“Our machine builders possess tremendous expertise in manufacturing next-generation marine reactor systems. We already have 13 RITM units of various capacities under our belt for the nation's nuclear icebreaker fleet. The 'heart' of the future floating power unit has already become the 14th in the series. And each of these products can proudly bear the 'Made in Russia' stamp," added Igor Kotov, head of Rosatom's Mechanical Engineering Division.
Another 14 RITM‑200 reactor units for nuclear icebreakers and floating power plants are currently at various stages of production across the division’s facilities.
RITM-200 is the latest marine
reactor unit for Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet. Their design makes the
equipment 1.5 times smaller in size and significantly more powerful than its
predecessors. This made the vessels versatile — capable of breaking through
three-meter ice in deep water, while also being able to enter northern river
estuaries. Proven in the Far North, RITM-200 reactor units are the foundation
of small-scale nuclear power solutions capable of electrifying remote territories at home and abroad.
With global demand for small-scale nuclear
energy on the rise, floating power units can dramatically reshape the energy
landscape by effectively addressing existing or potential power shortages in
remote coastal areas. Operating like a green battery, they can continuously
generate electricity for decades, independent of weather, and are suitable for
supplying power to both industrial sites and urban areas.
Rosatom was the first to turn ideas into
actual hardware, particularly in floating power units. Since 2020, the world's
first floating power unit, Akademik Lomonosov, has been operating in Chukotka,
generating over 1.2 billion kWh of electricity and preventing more than 400,000
tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Rosatom has now developed a family of FPUs
featuring RITM-200 reactors with varying power outputs, designed for both
northern and southern latitudes. Serial production is underway for the FPU-106
floating power units, which will supply electricity to an industrial copper
mining cluster in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
The Mechanical Engineering Division of the Rosatom State Corporation is Russia's largest power engineering holding in terms of production volume and revenue. It is a full-scope supplier of reactor island and turbine hall equipment for all Russian-designed nuclear power plants under construction, an equipment manufacturer, and a developer and supplier of integrated solutions for energy companies, the oil and gas industry, and other industrial sectors. https://rosatommd.ru
