Rosatom Aims to Develop Compact Nuclear Power Plants by 2032

Expert Denis Kulikov said that the Russian nuclear industry expects to start mass production of small nuclear power plants with a capacity of 10 MW with Shelf-M reactors starting from 2032.

“Next year we will complete the technical design of the reactors and the main equipment of the power unit,” added Kulikov, who holds the position of chief designer of small nuclear power plant reactors at the Institute of Energy Technology (Nikkei).

He pointed out that the industrial investment of the first station based on the Shelf-M reactors should begin in 2030. After that, other reactors of this type will be operated and invested until 2032.

According to him, the first such station, equipped with the Shelf-M reactor, will be built next to a gold mine in the Republic of Yakutia.

He noted that the main purpose of investing in this type of small plants is to provide electricity and heat to remote areas.

Shelf-M is 11 meters long and eight meters in diameter, and the weight of the fully prepared power unit, including the reactor and its base, is 370 tons. The service life of these reactors is 60 years.

Source: News