Staff Reporter
ROSATOM has launched its fifth annual environmental and biodiversity monitoring programme along Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR), assessing the impact of shipping activity on Arctic marine ecosystems as the company continues to expand its nuclear technology cooperation with countries including those in Africa.
The programme, conducted in partnership with the Marine Research Centre of Lomonosov Moscow State University, monitors marine ecosystems across the NSR to help assess and minimise the environmental impact of increasing maritime activity.
Since the initiative began, more than 130 specialists from 29 organisations in countries including Russia, Egypt, China, India and Türkiye have participated. Rosatom said the latest monitoring findings indicate that current levels of shipping activity have not had a negative impact on the marine environment.
The project has also been presented at international Arctic and marine science forums, including meetings of the BRICS Working Group on Oceanology, Polar Science and Technology.
The monitoring covers the full length of the NSR, a more than 5 600-kilometre Arctic transport corridor running through the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi seas. The route can reduce transit distances between Asia and Europe by an estimated 30% to 40% compared with traditional southern shipping routes.
Because of the region’s severe climate and heavy sea ice, navigation along parts of the route requires the assistance of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Rosatom, which operates the NSR infrastructure, is consequently continuing to modernise the fleet and related infrastructure.
The company recently completed the manufacture of the full set of RITM-200 reactor units for the Project 22220 nuclear icebreaker Leningrad, which is under construction in Russia.
The RITM reactor series already powers the Arktika, Ural, Sibir and Yakutia icebreakers. Three additional vessels of the same class — Chukotka, Stalingrad and Leningrad — are also under construction.
According to Rosatom, the Project 22220 icebreakers can break through ice up to three metres thick and operate for up to seven years without refuelling.
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said the company’s manufacturing programme for the RITM reactors was continuing, with 13 reactor vessels for nuclear icebreakers and small modular reactor (SMR) projects currently at different stages of production.
“Rosatom’s machine-building plant in the Moscow Region, ZiO Podolsk, has completed the manufacture of the second RITM-200 reactor unit for the universal nuclear icebreaker Leningrad, which is currently under construction. Thus, we have completed the manufacture of the entire set of equipment for the reactor compartment of the future Arctic explorer,” Likhachev said.
He added that the production programme represented a record for the Russian nuclear industry.
The RITM-200 is a next-generation reactor unit with a thermal capacity of 175 megawatts and an integrated design combining the reactor and steam generators in a single vessel. Rosatom said the design improves reliability while reducing the overall weight of the system.
The technology enables Project 22220 icebreakers to operate in both deep-water seas and the mouths of northern rivers.
Rosatom said its engineers have manufactured and delivered 15 RITM-series units for nuclear icebreakers, small-scale nuclear power projects and floating power units supplying electricity to remote coastal areas.
The same reactor technology is being adapted for small modular reactor applications, including land-based and floating nuclear power plants.
Rosatom said this could create opportunities for countries that are developing nuclear energy programmes, including a growing number of African nations seeking to meet rising electricity demand and diversify their energy mixes.
The company’s cooperation with African countries includes intergovernmental agreements on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, uranium exploration and mining, plans for SMR-based power projects and the training of local nuclear specialists.
Rosatom said its experience in designing and manufacturing reactor systems could support countries establishing their own nuclear energy programmes.
Photo: Rosatom
