Companies in China and Russia recently announced plans to collaborate on the development of floating nuclear plants.
Representatives of China National Nuclear Corp. and a subsidiary of Russia's Rosatom signed a memorandum of intent to develop the technology on Tuesday. The companies did not announce a timeline, but said their next step is to form a joint working group.
"Floating nuclear power plants can provide a reliable power supply, not only to remote settlements, for example, in the Far North and Far East regions, but also to large industrial facilities such as oil platforms,” Rosatom's D. Aliev was quoted as saying in a release.
Russia is already in the process of building its first floating nuclear plant. According to the World Nuclear Association, it will use two KLT-40S reactors, originally designed for ice breakers, fuelled with low-enriched uranium and producing 150 MWt each. That energy can be used for electricity production, desalination or district heating. The plant is designed with on-board equipment and storage to refuel the units every three to four years, with refurbishment and fuel disposal after three fuel cycles. Construction began in 2007 but was delayed by the bankruptcy of the shipyard where it was being built. Current plans call for its completion in 2016.