Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Uzbekistan on Might 26 to fulfill together with his counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Amongst subjects excessive on the leaders’ dialogue listing was power.
Along with Russia reportedly being open to broader cooperation on fuel provides with Uzbekistan, the 2 international locations additionally signed a protocol within the presence of the 2 heads of state amending an Intergovernmental Settlement on cooperation within the building of a nuclear energy plant in Uzbekistan. The modification expanded the cooperation to incorporate using small modular reactor (SMR) expertise, in keeping with ROSATOM, Russia’s state atomic power company.
On the sidelines of the occasion, the joint inventory firm Atomstroyexport (the Engineering division of ROSATOM) and the state unitary enterprise Directorate for the Building of Nuclear Energy Vegetation beneath Uzatom, the company for atomic power of the Cupboard of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, signed a contract for the development of the SMR plant. ROSATOM mentioned will probably be the overall contractor for the development of the plant, whereas native firms may even be concerned within the building course of.
“ROSATOM has confirmed its undisputed world management in nuclear power by signing the first-ever export contract for the development of a small nuclear energy plant. This isn’t only a preliminary settlement; we’re beginning building this summer season,” Alexey Likhachev, director basic of ROSATOM, mentioned in an announcement.
The mission shall be constructed within the Jizzakh area of Uzbekistan, using the Russian RITM-200N reactor, which is an adaptation of marine expertise for land-based deployment. Every module has a thermal energy capability is 190 MW, with {an electrical} energy output of 55 MW. The service lifetime of models is as much as 60 years.
ROSATOM mentioned RITM-200 collection reactors, on which the RITM-200N reactor is predicated, have been examined in harsh Arctic circumstances on fashionable Russian icebreakers. Since 2012, 10 RITM-200 reactors have been manufactured for the nuclear icebreakers Arktika, Sibir, Ural, Yakutia, and Chukotka. The primary three are reportedly in operation, efficiently accompanying vessels within the western Arctic area.
In the meantime, a small nuclear energy plant based mostly on the RITM-200N reactor can be at the moment beneath building within the village of Ust-Kuyga, Yakutia. The primary energy unit is predicted to be launched in 2027, with commissioning in 2028. The ability is predicted to supply electrical energy to industrial enterprises, together with the event of the Kyuchus, Deputatskoye, and Tirekhtyakh deposits.
The Uzbekistan SMR plant is deliberate to have a complete capability of 330 MW (six reactors with a capability of 55 MW every). Among the many benefits ROSATOM touts for SMRs are shorter building occasions in comparison with large-capacity nuclear energy crops as a consequence of their compactness, and the potential to extend capability in keeping with a rustic’s wants. Whereas the Worldwide Atomic Power Company (IAEA) has reported that 83 SMR designs are beneath improvement globally, solely two are literally in business operation at the moment—the HTR-PM and the KLT-40S, that are Chinese language and Russian designs, respectively.
“In keeping with forecasts, the demand for power assets in Uzbekistan will virtually double by 2050. It’s evident that for the steady operation of the power system and financial improvement, our nation should guarantee a baseload energy supply along with renewable power sources. We’re witnessing a world enhance in curiosity in new nuclear tasks, each in large-capacity energy crops and small modular reactors. We consider that increasing cooperation with Rosatom will strengthen our power sector with superior nuclear power applied sciences,” mentioned the Director of Uzatom Azim Akhmedkhadjaev.
The chosen web site has already been surveyed and confirmed for suitability and security, in keeping with ROSATOM, which it mentioned will considerably shorten the mission implementation timeline.
—Aaron Larson is POWER’s govt editor (@POWERmagazine).
