Russian Floating Nuclear Power Plant Takes Over Part of City's Heating Load

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 30, after the Russian floating nuclear power plant "Akademik Lomonosov" took over part of the heating load of Pevek in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, local atmospheric pollutant emissions dropped significantly. According to the environmental monitoring report disclosed by the nuclear power plant operator, total pollutant emissions fell from 11.64 tonnes to 2.281 tonnes, a reduction of approximately 80.4%, dropping to about one-fifth of the original level.

The "Akademik Lomonosov" floating nuclear power plant is located near Pevek in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East. It entered commercial operation in May 2020 and began taking over part of the local heating task in 2022. The facility consists of a floating power unit and onshore supporting infrastructure, equipped with two KLT-40S reactors, each with an electrical power output of 35 MW, for a combined electrical power output of 70 MW, while also supplying heat to the city. By transferring part of the city's heating load to the nuclear power plant, the district heating system's reliance on conventional fuel-fired heating facilities has been reduced.

In terms of environmental monitoring, automated monitoring stations have been set up in Pevek and the surrounding area, including 11 automatic radiation monitoring stations, with another 4 monitoring stations in Pevek itself. The operator reports that monitoring indicators such as air emissions, water discharges, soil impacts and waste generation all meet established standards, with average levels below 10% of the maximum permissible values; Rosatom also stated that monitoring of Chaunskaya Bay in the East Siberian Sea found no significant changes.

In addition to the environmental monitoring results disclosed by the operator, a study published in Nuclear Engineering and Technology in August 2026 analyzed the radioactive aerosol emissions during operation of the floating nuclear power plant and the radiation environment around Pevek. The study identified major radionuclides such as tritium, carbon-14 and argon-41, and estimated that the annual effective dose to local residents is below 0.03 microsieverts; the study also noted that before and after the nuclear power plant was commissioned, there were no statistically significant differences in local environmental dose rates, radioactive deposition levels or soil radionuclide composition.