Russia on May 19, 2018 launched 'Akademik Lomonosov', the world's first floating nuclear power plant at the St Petersburg shipyard.


Key Details
• The ‘Akademik Lomonosov’ is to be the first of a fleet of floating nuclear power stations to be stationed in the Russian Arctic.
• The 144-by-30-metre (472-by-98-foot) power plant holds two reactors with two 35 megawatt nuclear reactors that are similar to those used to power icebreaker ships.
• The power plant has no propulsion of its own. It will be towed up North to avoid the steep cost of shipping it by land piece by piece to remote areas.
• The plant is capable of producing enough electricity to power a town of 200,000 residents, far more than the 5,000 living in Pevek.
Significance
The floating reactor can help save 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
It is set to replace an ageing nuclear reactor and a coal-fired power plant, both of which are both located in Chukotka.