Russia’s floating nuclear power plant

In May 2020, Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear plant (above) started providing power and electricity to 200 000 people in the far-eastern town of Pevek, Russia. The 70 megawatt plant, housed on a non-motorised barge, took three years to build and another decade to begin operations, running up a price tag of $740 million against initial estimates of $140 million, though it has a lifespan of 40 years. Lomonosov is the first floating plant of its kind, but its plans are designed for replicable manufacturing. It is the 11th industrially operated nuclear power plant in Russia, and the northernmost in the world.