Matthew Amlôt

DUBAI — The world’s first floating nuclear power plant has been fully commissioned to begin operation in northern Russia.

The floating nuclear power plant (FNPP), named Akademic Lomonosov, was commissioned on Friday. Andrei Petrov, the director of Rosenergoatom (the electric energy division of Russia’s state nuclear energy firm), signed the relevant decree. Floating power stations allow facilities to be docked in remote regions that would otherwise be hard to develop.

“Today we can consider the floating nuclear power plant construction project successfully completed. We finished our main task for this year — fully commissioned the FNPP in Pevek, Chukotka region. Today, it officially becomes the 11th nuclear power plant in Russia and the northernmost one in the world,” Andrei Petrov said in a statement.

The Akademic Lomonosov begun providing electricity to the grid on Dec. 19, 2019, and has currently generated over 47.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity since its connection.

The Far East directorate of Rostechnadzor, Russia’s technical, nuclear and environmental regulator had earlier inspected the FNPP. The plant received a “statement of conformity,” according to the statement, verifying that the FNPP is in accordance with all project documentation requirements.

The project also received approval from Rosprirodnadzor, the environmental management authority.

The plant has a total capacity of 70 megawatts from two separate 35 megawatt reactors. The FNPP has a 40-year service life. — Al Arabiya English