Russia’s state nuclear operator Rosenergoatom has received a licence from regulator Rostekhnadzor for construction of the country’s first land-based small modular reactor in Sakha, an autonomous Russian republic also known as Yakutia.
State nuclear corporation Rosatom said the plant, 4,000 km to the east of Moscow in the country’s Far East, is scheduled to be in operation in 2028.
Rosatom said pre-construction work had already begun near the village of Ust-Kuyga. More than 2,000 tonnes of cargo have been delivered to the site and there are about 80 workers there.
The SMR will be a water-cooled RITM-200N plant adapted from the RITM-200 series used to power the country’s latest fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.