Two Russian companies, Rosenergoatom and Sevmash, have started to build the first ever nuclear power barge in the world. Rosenergoatom, who specializes in Nuclear Power, is financing 80% of the project and Sevmash, who builds nuclear submarines, will finance 20%. $200 M is the estimated cost to build this barge which will be completed in 2010. Announcement of this plan to build a nuclear power barge was made last year.
The plant, to be called Akademik Lomonosov, is being constructed in the Northern state of Severodvinsk. It will be initially used to power Sevmash’s shipbuilding facilities.
I am assuming that this is but a prototype with no direct buyer. And that the two companies will use this to prove the viability of the design as well as to make money off of leasing it to countries requiring out of cycle power. This is useful in countries that have limited sources for power due to lack of natural resources (wind and hydro) or don’t have the funds to build their own power plants (the island of Saipan came to mind when they had that terrible power shortage.) Leasing power has always been a lucrative business.
Original Article here from the BBC
Category: Nuclear
