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Rosatom starts prepairing crew for floating NPP

Russia´s first floating nuclear power plant is planned to be placed in the Far East.

The crew for Russia´s first floating nuclear power station started their training in Saint Petersburg today. 

Location

The training of each of the specialists who will work onboard “Akademik Lomonosov”, takes more than one thousand hours, RIA Novosti reports.

“We plan to start education of the first 17 persons of the crew on September 1”, Director of Rosatom´s Central Institute for Continuing Education and Training Tair Tairov said to RIA Novosti. “This is the operating personnel – those who will be operating the power station.” The vessel will have a total crew of 78 persons.

The training program takes two years and covers both theory and practical training on the nuclear power plant.

As earlier reported, Russia´s first floating nuclear power station will be ready for operation by October 2016.

“Akademik Lomonosov” will be placed in Chukotka, where it will ensure power to local settlements and companies as two existing power plants in the region – the 40 years old Bilibino nuclear power plant and the 70 years old Chaunskaya thermal electric power station – are being phased out by 2019, according to RIA Novosti.

The Russian Government plans to allocate 5 billion rubles (€80.26 million) for construction of the required infrastructure for the floating power plant in Chukotka. The total costs of the new nuclear power plant will be 37.3 billion rubles (€598.6 million).

The non-self-propelled vessel will have a length of 144 meters. Its two reactors will be able to produce up to 70 megawatts of electricity. The draught is less than six meters, making it possible to move the barge into quite shallow waters and rivers. The reactors are supposed to have a lifespan of 40 years.