Chukotka Gov. Holds Talks on Construction of Floating Atomic Plant

ANADYR. August 27. VOSTOK-MEDIA – Chukotka officials and the state-controlled Rosenergoatom consortium have held talks in Anadyr on Friday to review the results of the public hearings on the construction of a floating atomic plant in Pevek, a town in Chukotka, and to develop plans for their further cooperation.

The consortium representatives praised the strong community involvement in the public hearings on the construction of the nuclear power plant in Pevek. Rosenergoatom executive vice-president Sergei Zavyalov said that local residents welcomed the prospect of a power station being constructed near the town.

At the meeting, the Chukotka regional Government and Rosenergoatom reached an agreement to coordinate further steps, to develop a plan of joint activities with due regard for the economic potential of the region, the construction of new energy generating facilities, and the modifications in the electricity supply network in Chukotka during the whole period of the power plant construction.

The sides also plan to make a preliminary estimation of the rate of electricity generated by the power plant.

Chukotka Governor Roman Kopin stressed the paramount importance of the atomic plant for the region.

“The construction of the floating nuclear station is pivotal for Chukotka since the Chaun power plant, located in Pevek, is by far outdated,” the Governor said. “Moreover, the construction of the floating atomic plant is provided for in 2020 Chukotka Straegic Development Plan. The new plant will certainly give a boost to further development of the Chaun-Bilibin industrial hub, where there are very rich deposits of gold, silver, copper and other non-ferrous metals. Gold deposits, Maisky and Kupol, which are located there, are among Russia’s richest gold fields. There are also precious ore deposits, Karalveem and Dvoynoye, and a variety of potentially viable gold ore fields. What is more, the Chaun-Bilibin cluster has Russia’s largest tin deposit, Pyrkakay Stockworks, and a rich copper deposit, Peschanka. Full-scale development of these fields is not feasible today without renovation of Chukotka energy infrastructure. The construction of the nuclear power plant in Pevek is one of the key components of the renovation,” he said.

The floating power plant will consist of two KLT-40 naval propulsion reactors together providing up to 70 MW. Its design lifetime is about 38 years. Rosenergoatom plans to locate the first nuclear power plant off Vilyuchinsk, Kamchatka. The second power station will be located at Pevek and start to operate in 2015 or 2016, a Chukotka Administration spokesman said.