Nuclear reactor
The RITM-200 is an integrated Generation III+ pressurized water reactor developed by OKBM Afrikantov and designed to produce 55 MWe.[13][14] The design is an improvement of KLT-40S reactor. It uses up to 20% enriched uranium-235 and can be refueled every 10 years for a 60 year planned lifespan in floating power plant installation.[15] If installed in a stationary power plant the fuel cycle is 6 years.
The RITM-200 has a compact integrated layout placing equipment within the steam generator casing, halving system weight compared to earlier designs and improving ability to operate in rolling and pitching seas.[16]
It powers the Project 22220 icebreakers, the first of which went critical in October 2019.[17][18] Since 2012, ten RITM‑200 reactors have been manufactured for five Russian Project 22220 multi-purpose nuclear icebreakers. Eight reactors are installed on the Arktika, Sibir, Ural and Yakutia icebreakers, which are already in operation. Construction of Chukotka is nearing completion.[19]
In November 2020 Rosatom announced plans to place a land-based RITM-200N[20] SMR in isolated Ust-Kuyga town in Yakutia.[21] The reactor will replace current coal and oil based electricity and heat generation at half the price.[22] In April 2023, a license was given for a pilot RITM-200N plant to be built near the village of Ust-Kuiga, with commissioning planned for 2028.[23]
RITM‑200M reactors will also be installed on the floating power units to supply power to the Baimsky GOK mining site in Chukotka.[19] They are planned to be put in operation in 2029.[24]
The volume of investments in the project was estimated at RUB900bn ($10bn). However, Georgy Fotin, Director General of Baimskaya Management Company, said in April, that the assessment had been revised upwards and some RUB170bn had already been invested.
The Baim project will be supplied with electricity using the new FNPPs of the PEB-106 project, designed for operation in the Far North and Far East. They will use the new RITM-200S reactors, which will supply 106 MWe to consumers. Their service life is 40 years and the interval between refuelling is five years. The units will be held in place by rigid mooring devices, which make it possible to compensate for the movement of the power units from the ebb and flow. The power generated by the power unit is transmitted to the shore using 50 high-voltage cables. Three main floating power units and one reserve unit will be installed, which will be used during the repair of the main units.[25]
Export
On May 27, 2024, Rosatom signed a contract to construct a 330 MW nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan's Jizzakh Region, featuring six 55 MWe RITM-200N small modular reactors.[19][26][27]
RITM-400
RITM-400 is a project of a pressurised water reactor with a planned capacity of 80 to 90 MW. The reactor is being developed by OKBM Afrikantov, a nuclear engineering company that is part of Rosatom.[28]
As of November 2023, Nornickel and Rosatom were considering the possibility of setting up low-capacity nuclear power plants to supply energy to the Norilsk Industrial District. A high-tech project of a low-capacity nuclear power plant based on the latest RITM-400 reactor unit may be considered as a priority.
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