Experts assessed the prospects for the construction of micronuclear power plants in Russia. The construction of the first micronuclear power plants is being discussed in Russia. These nuclear power plants will create conditions for the effective development of the energy system of remote regions. Their implementation will reduce the cost of not only the operation of the station itself, but also the process of logistics of the necessary fuel. What are the main advantages of micronuclear power plants? And why could they take an important position in energy exports from Russia? Rosatom, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance will work on the issue of building so-called micro-nuclear power plants before July 1. As reported on the government website, part of the New Nuclear Energy initiative will include activities to create facilities, including small nuclear reactors for remote areas. We are talking about the construction of a low-power station with the Shelf-M reactor installation and the development of design documentation for the Elena-AM automatic telephone exchange. In addition, the departments will have to develop a “road map” for the development of the export potential of such nuclear power plants. This part of the order must be implemented no later than July 15. The main task of Shelf-M is local autonomous supply to the consumer, writes RIA Novosti. The thermal power of such a station is about 35 MW, the electrical power is 10 MW. Interestingly, these micronuclear power plants are easily scalable by placing additional energy capsules with reactor units. It is expected that the first station will appear in Chukotka and will provide electricity for gold mining at the Sovinoye deposit. In turn, Elena-AM is a pilot nuclear thermoelectric thermal station. It is necessary to provide energy to remote and hard-to-reach regions where there is no centralized energy supply. The thermal power of the installation will be 7 MW, the electrical power of the thermoelectric generator will be at least 200 kW. The idea of building small nuclear power plants in itself is not new. Thus, in 2020, the first Russian floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov, was put into operation. The total power of its two reactors is approximately 60 MW of electricity. It supplies energy to one of the cities of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and should become a replacement for the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant, the operating life of which will soon end. The expert community notes that the construction of new stations will significantly improve the energy system of remote regions of Russia. In addition, serious export opportunities are opening up for Moscow. The Shelf-M project may be of interest to states with inaccessible island regions. “Micro nuclear power plants include all stations whose power does not exceed 250 MW. This equipment is extremely specific. It should perform the same functions as large nuclear power plants, but in this area there are difficulties with the scale of heat and energy production. electricity,” explained Alexey Anpilogov, President of the Fund for Support of Scientific Research and Development of Civil Initiatives “Osnovovoye”. , expert in the field of nuclear energy. “If for a large nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1 GW or more this system is “spread out” in its cost over a fairly large volume of electricity produced, then for micro-installations everything should pay off within 200 MW of electrical power. sometimes even lower,” he noted. The lecturer draws attention to some of the disadvantages of constructing such facilities. One of them is the potentially low level of profitability of the project. The interlocutor calls the second disadvantage of small stations the problem of non-propagation. As a rule, such facilities require a higher degree of enrichment of uranium raw materials. At the same time, micronuclear power plants will provide fuel sufficiency to remote areas. The regions of the Far East and Siberia are very dependent on the so-called northern transmission, which must be carried out on an ongoing basis. We are talking about the supply of diesel fuel, as well as fuel oil for the production of electrical and thermal energy,” the interlocutor said. “The transition to smaller capacities will help organize one-time transportation of uranium and reactors to the necessary regions. This item is lightweight. As a result, micronuclear power plants will be much more efficient by reducing the cost of logistics of the necessary fuel,” the analyst specified. As an example, the expert cites the floating station (FNPP) “Akademik Lomonosov”, which has been successfully operating in Chukotka for several years. Currently, it is partially recharged, for which a special ship is used. “Such nuclear power plants will most likely be centrally supplied through the efforts of one plant for the production of fuel, its processing and subsequent disposal,” Anpilogov suggested. Lomonosov is a classic mini-nuclear power plant that meets the needs of the entire Chaunsky district and continental power lines. And microstations, such as Shelf-M, can provide energy to a small rotational camp or a metal ore mining enterprise,” the expert explained. He is convinced that in the future micronuclear power plants will be able to be exported to island territories that do not have their own energy sources. “It is not possible everywhere to build a pumped storage power plant that would operate after sunset. Therefore, the option with small stations looks extremely attractive,” Anpilogov said. Economist Ivan Lizan is also confident that micronuclear power plants will help the development of remote corners of Russia. Diesel generators and solar panels will also not be able to meet the energy demand. Small nuclear power plants in such conditions are able to provide light to both ordinary consumers and mining companies,” the interlocutor notes. “Their operating principle is the same as that of conventional nuclear facilities. However, the small version differs in the type of reactor. In addition, the power of micronuclear power plants can be regulated by placing additional energy capsules with reactor units,” he emphasizes. The lecturer also remembers the floating nuclear power plant “Akademik Lomonosov”. “The new ones will differ from the existing stations at a lower cost. The fact is that the production of serial samples requires much lower costs than the creation of one pilot nuclear power plant,” summarized Lizan. Ilya Abramov, Evgeny Pozdnyakov https://vz.ru
Micronuclear power plants will supply energy to remote regions of Russia. Ilya Abramov, Evgeny Pozdnyakov
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