Atomenergomash showcased its expertise for low-capacity NPPs at the ATOMEXPO-2022

Andrey Nikipelov, General Director of Atomenergomash (Rosatom's machine building division), took part in the discussion from the Russian side. The list of foreign speakers included Myo Thein Kyaw, the Minister (Ministry of Science and Technology) from Myanmar; Olivia Limpe-Aw, the President of Philippine Archipelago International Trading Corporation; Chen Jinxing, the Deputy General Manager of China Nuclear Power Co; Rob Shongwe, the CEO of Sandock Austral Energy (the Republic of South Africa); Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, a Senior Researcher at the Vietnam Atomic Energy Center (Vinatom).

In his speech, Andrey Nikipelov highlighted the division's work on the development of floating power units and their role in the comprehensive approach towards energy supply of remote communities and power-consuming industries cut off from the power grid. The start of commercial operation of the Floating Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) «Akademik Lomonosov» in 2020 drastically raised an interest in floating nuclear power units of Russian design. In 2021, Atomenergomash signed the largest contract in its history for the supply of four floating power units for the Baimsky Mining and Processing Plant (MPP) in Chukotka with eight RITM-200 reactors. Speaking about the project for power supply of the Baimskaya Ore Zone, Andrey Nikipelov highlighted the fact that this is the world's first project for the electrification of an industrial cluster with floating nuclear power plants - a completely unprecedented event for Rosatom and for the global power industry in general, including the «green energy» use. Moreover, this project marked the beginning of a «flow» production of floating nuclear power plants with various capacity and design range.

Earlier that day, a new manufacturing stage, namely, preparations for the installation of steam generators on the first floating nuclear power unit for the Baimsky MPP, was launched at the plenary session called «Great opportunities of small nuclear power». During a live broadcast from the ZiO-Podolsk plant (part of Atomenergomash), a start was given to anti-corrosive holes plating onto the RITM-200 reactor vessel for the installation of steam generator unit cassettes.

During the discussion at the round table «Floating NPPs: Mobile Nuclear Solutions for Energy Systems of the Future», foreign speakers emphasized that solutions which ensure access to green energy at forecasted price are of a particular importance in the context of volatility of the global energy market. In emerging economies, affordable energy is the key not only to the dynamic industrial development, but also the main booster of the population’s welfare.

Atomenergomash is currently working on the development and manufacture of the floating power units’ family. As a part of Rosatom's exposition at ATOMEXPO-2022 deployed in the Green Energy Quarter, AEM demonstrated a whole range of floating power units designs. Both, the already operating FNPP and its upgraded version intended for Baimsky Mine and Processing Plant, and new products such as floating power units of tropical and Arctic designs based on the RITM-200 and the RITM-400 (twice as powerful modification of RITM-200) were introduced in the interactive mode.

Background:

The RITM family reactor units are developed by OKBM Afrikantov Experimental Design Bureau (part of Rosatom's machine building division). This is a brand-new solution with unparalleled performance characteristics in comparison to previous generations of transportable nuclear reactors.

The RITM series reactors use an integral arrangement with steam generators located inside the reactor vessel. This feature makes RITM a half times lighter and almost two times more compact than its predecessors. Moreover, being almost 20% more powerful than the previous generation of KLT-40 marine propulsion reactors, RITM reactor units allow generating electricity in a more efficient way.

Reference:

Atomenergomash JSC is a machine–building division of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, one of the leading power engineering companies in Russia in terms of production and revenue. The holding is a single-source manufacturer of reactor island and machinery hall equipment for all Russian-design NPPs under construction, a manufacturer of equipment for LNG projects, waste to energy plants, a developer and supplier of complex solutions for energy, oil and gas, shipbuilding and other industries. Our technologies and equipment ensure the operation of about 20% of world’s nuclear power plants. The company brings together leading research, engineering and production Russian and foreign companies. It is a member of the Russian Engineering Union.