The commissioning of a small nuclear power plant (SNP) in Ust-Kuyga (Yakutia) has been postponed from 2028 to 2030, the head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev, announced during a press conference. The SNP will provide electricity to the Kyuchus cluster deposits, which include the Kyuchus deposit, the Ruchei Tirekhtyakh and Deputatskoye tin deposits.
The decision to postpone the launch of the plant is due to the doubling of its capacity to 110 MW. The authorities of Yakutia and the project initiator, Rosatom, have decided to build a nuclear power plant with two RITM-200N reactors.
“We are satisfied with this, because the Kyuchus project should also reach its operating capacity by 2030, it is the basic consumer of the electricity that will be generated at the small-capacity nuclear power plant,” Nikolaev said.
As noted earlier, the Kyuchus gold deposit will be provided with electricity from the SNPP for 40 years. The service life of nuclear energy may be extended, due to the high probability of expanding the deposit’s reserves. As part of the development of the deposit, PJSC Seligdar will use at least 35 MW of nuclear power. The station will be equipped with a RITM-200N reactor, equipped with a combination of active and passive safety systems. The advantages of small NPPs include compactness, modularity, short construction and commissioning times, as well as undemanding local network infrastructure.