Why in news?

• On December 11, 2018, Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) has become operational.
• The Russian atomic energy corporation Rosatom announced that the plant has been brought to 10% of its capacity.

Akademik Lomonosov FNPP:

• Akademik Lomonosov was constructed by Russian state nuclear power firm Rosatom.
• It has length of 144 metres and width of 30 metres.
• It has a displacement of 21,500 tonnes and crew of 69 people.
• For power generation, it has been fitted with two modified KLT-40 naval propulsion nuclear reactors (each of 35 MW capacity) together providing up to 70 MW of electricity and 300 MW of heat.
• It is named after Russian Academician Mikhail Lomonosov.
• It has the latest security systems and is considered as one of safest nuclear installations in the world.
• However, environmentalists have dubbed it as ‘Nuclear Titanic’ or ‘Chernobyl on ice’.
• It will be primarily used to power oil rigs in remote areas of Artic region where Russia is pushing to drill for oil and gas.

Significance of this nuclear power plant:

• The low-capacity, mobile (floating) nuclear power plant can produce enough electricity to power town of 200,000 residents living in Russia’s far-flung northernmost Artic region where large amounts of electricity is not needed and construction of conventional power station based on coal, gas and diesel is complicated and costly.
• It can save upto 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
• The project is part of Russia’s greater aims to secure rich deposits of oil and gas in North Pole region in Artic.
• Due to climate change, new shipping routes are opening up in Russia’s north and as result, it is strengthening its military position in the region.