01.07.2016  The Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC Information and Public Relations Department The Baltic Shipyard Ltd media center

Rosenergoatom: basin trials have been started at the world’s first floating power unit

Aleksey Kadilov, the director of the Baltic Shipyard, and Sergey Zavyalov, the head of the Rosenergoatom Concern’s affiliate “Floating nuclear heat power station construction and operation department”, have signed an order on starting the basin trials of the world’s first floating power unit (FPU) “Lomonosov”. According to the blueprint, the trials are to start on July 1, 2016.

As Sergey Zavyalov, the head of the Customer’s department*, has noted, the basin trials will stick to a specific technology scheme and will be combined with the outfitting works at the handling terminal, the instrumentation and the machinery halls, which means that the shipyard will have to be well-organized and stick to special security standards. The customer will control the process 24/7.

The aim of the basin trials is to ensure that the floating unit’s equipment and systems are operational and fully comply with the project specification. “Basin trials are the most important step in the construction process, which marks its final stage”, said Aleksey Kadilov. “We have more than a year before we are to hand in the FPU to the Customer, so we have plenty of time to eradicate any issues in the way the FPU’s systems, equipment, and mechanism work”.


According to Aleksey Vladimirov, the 20870 project manager, the trials will run in stages, so that construction activities and trials do not overlap at the same areas and rooms at the FPU.

The basin trials are planned to be completed by October 30, 2017.

Afterwards, the Lomonosov FPU will become a fully-fledged facility and will be delivered to its operation area via the Northern sea route and connected to the coast infrastructure, which is now being constructed at the Peveke harbor. The power unit has to be ready for transportation by the end of 2017. In September 2019, Rosenergoatom plans to start installing the power unit onto its design place in order to start the FPU trials and launch it operational by fall 2019.

The Lomonosov floating power unit of the 20870 project is designed to operate as part of the floating nuclear heat power station (FNHPS). The station boasts KLT-40S reactor units that can produce up to 70 megawatt electric power and 50 MMkcal/hr heat power at a duty-cycle rating, which is enough to cater for a city of over 200 thousand people.

The FPU is designed to operate at the Extreme North and the Far East. The main Lomonosov FPU is being constructed for the floating nuclear hear power station in the city of Peveke in the Chukotka Autonomous Region. FPU is a unique and the world’s first project of a mobile transportable low-capacity power unit.

Its main goal is to supply power to the major industrial enterprises, the harbor cities, and the gas and oil platforms located in the high sea.

The FPU with the deadweight of 21.5 thousand tons can be used as a distiller producing up to 240 thousand cubic meters of water daily. Its expected life span is 35-40 years. The reactors are to be recharged every 2.5-3 years. The team can be made of around 70 people.


The FNHPS is designed with a high safety margin exceeding any possible threats, which makes the nuclear reactors immune to tsunamis and other natural disasters. Besides, the nuclear processes at the ships comply with all IAEA standards and pose no environmental threats.


* The FNHPS Customer is the Rosenergoatom Concern’s affiliate “Floating nuclear heat power station construction and operation department”. The Rosenergoatom Concern comprises all 10 Russian nuclear power plants that have the affiliate statuses, along with the vendors catering for the generating company’s operations. The 10 Russian nuclear power plants run 35 power blocks, 18 of them having VVER-type reactors (12 VVER-1000 blocks and 6 VVER-440 ones), 15 of them boasting channel-type reactors (11 power blocks with RBMK-1000 reactors, four blocks with EGP-6 ones), and 2 of them have fast-neutron reactors BN-600 and BN-800 with sodium cooling. At the moment, the Concern’s NPPs account for around 18.6% of the total electric power output in Russia.


Baltic Shipyard Ltd focuses on engineering 1st-range surface vessels, ice-class vessels (iceboats, multifunctional supply ships, industrial ships for offshore operations) with nuclear and diesel-electric power units, nuclear floating power units, and floating distillation complexes.


The company was founded in 1856. During its history, the Baltic Shipyard has delivered over 600 ships and vessels, being a private company for some time and then returning into the public property when facing financial difficulties. In late 2011, the United Shipbuilding Corporation has purchased the plant from a private owner.


To foster financial recovery, maintain the competencies and keep the staff, the Baltic Shipyard was established under the auspices of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. The new legal entity has received the strategic company’s shipbuilding and engineering capabilities. At the moment, over 4000 people are employed here.


The Baltic Shipyard’s backlog of orders comprises around 150 billion rubles. The major projects the company works on are: three nuclear iceboats of 60 megawatts, a diesel-electric iceboat of 25 megawatts, a floating power block for the world’s first floating nuclear heat power plant, engineering facilities. In 2015, the company’s revenue was 11 857 million rubles, with the net profit of 1 229 million rubles, and the current assets of 62 736 million rubles.

The United Shipbuilding Corporation is the major shipbuilding enterprise in Russia. It was established by the order of the Russian president in 2007 with 100% of its share being owned by the federal government. The holding comprises over 40 companies and organizations of the industry (the main shipbuilding plants and ship repair yards, along with the leading design centers). At the moment, the United Shipbuilding Corporation boasts the biggest market share in the country. Russia is the main market for the company, which also exports its products to 20 countries all over the world.


The Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC Information and Public Relations Department
The Baltic Shipyard Ltd media center


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