Chinese-made hulls for Russian floating nuclear plants set for 2023 delivery
- Hulls were outsourced because of high workload at local shipbuilders and tight deadlines, Russian news agency Sputnik reports
- Russia built the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, in 2019 and is building more to serve remote areas
The Chinese-made hulls for two Russian floating nuclear power plants are expected to be delivered in just over a year’s time.
The hulls were outsourced because of the high workload at local shipbuilding companies and tight deadlines, Russian state news agency Sputnik reported on Tuesday, as the two sides held a keel-laying ceremony for the vessels in China.
Key work including the installation of reactors will be carried out in Russia once the barges – measuring 140 metres by 30 metres (460 feet by 98 feet) and weighing almost 10,000 tonnes – are delivered in late 2023, according to Sputnik.
China’s latest five-year plan, announced in 2021, included a commitment to promote the construction of floating nuclear power plants.
Energy and technology, including nuclear power, are among the main areas for cooperation between China and Russia – which reiterated their “no-limits” partnership earlier this year.