en.Wedoany.com Reported - Rosatom has completed the investment feasibility study for a land-based small modular reactor (ASMM) power plant based on the Shelf-M microreactor in the Chukotka region, marking the establishment of the technical and economic viability and regulatory roadmap required for constructing this power facility at the Sovinoye gold mine in Russia's remote Far East.
The Shelf-M is an ultra-compact, transportable pressurized water reactor "nuclear battery" capable of delivering 10 MWe of electricity or 35 MWt of thermal energy. The entire unit is integrated into a capsule measuring 11 meters in length and 8 meters in diameter, weighing approximately 370 tons. The reactor is designed for full-unit transport by barge or heavy transport vehicle, with a single fuel load enabling continuous operation for 8 years and a design life of 60 years. The Shelf-M employs passive safety mechanisms, utilizing natural circulation of the primary coolant to reduce the reactor to 30% of maximum power in emergency situations without requiring external power or active pumps.
The investment feasibility phase formally incorporates the power plant project into the federal comprehensive plan "New Nuclear Power Industry, Including Small Reactors for Remote Areas." The Arctic region of Chukotka currently lacks a unified power grid infrastructure, and deploying the land-based ASMM will replace high-carbon legacy energy sources while providing localized, stable power support for JSC Elkonsky MMC (Elkon Mining and Metallurgical Combine) operations at the Sovinoye deposit. Elkon Mining is a key subsidiary of Rosatom's ARMZ Uranium Holding Company.
Comprehensive durability testing of the reactor's main components and structural parts is expected to be completed by 2026, with delivery of key technical modules to the Chukotka deployment site planned to begin in 2027. Physical startup and grid connection are scheduled for 2030, with final commercial operation set for 2032. The Shelf-M demonstration project will serve as a reference for initiating serial production at other domestic locations (such as Yakutia and Krasnoyarsk) and in international markets. Chukotka is already home to the world's first floating power unit, the Akademik Lomonosov, which has been in operation since 2020. Additionally, a series of four upgraded floating units (Project 20871) is under construction to supply energy to the Baimskaya mining area in Chukotka's Bilibinsky District, with the first unit scheduled for commissioning in 2028.
