The power station is to be constructed at the military yard Sevmash in Archangelsk. The first reactor mounted on a barge is expected to be launched in three year.
The work has already started, according to Stanislav Antipov, head of the state Rosenergoatom consortium that oversees Russian nuclear plants.
Norwegians are worried
Norwegian authorities and Russian NGO’s have announced concern about the environmental and proliferation matters.
The project was approved by Russia’s Federal Nuclear Energy Agency last autumn. The aim is to improve energy requirements in remote areas along the northern Russian coastline. These areas lack centralised energy supplies, and Roesengoatom hopes the power plants would be an independent source of energy.
Asians are interested
The project has raised attention from Indonesia, Malaysia and China. Russian authorities hope to export the technology to other countries.
The construction is estimated to cost about 150 million dollar. It is not decided if the plant is to be permanently settled on the European coastline or the coastline in the Eastern part of the country.
Rosenergoatom has drafted a plan to build six or seven floating nuclear plants.
