Russian Maritime Board chair proposes building small NPPs in Arctic

MURMANSK. March 26 (Interfax) - The use of small-capacity nuclear power plants (NPP) could solve the problem of efficient power supply of both small and quite large populated localities in Russia's Arctic region without any losses, Russian presidential aide and Russian Maritime Board Chairman Nikolai Patrushev said.

"Our country has vast territories, and we should not pull power lines everywhere, when we transmit energy by wires, there are big losses, especially taking into account our distances. We are able to build spot power plants, small nuclear power plants. Both Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute know how to do it," Patrushev said at a joint meeting of the Russian State Council's commissions addressing a comprehensive approach toward the Arctic's development and the forming of a national project titled The Arctic and the Northern Sea Route as part of the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum.

Russian specialists developed projects of small NPPs as early as in the 20th century, Patrushev said.

"It was tested, it is reliable and it will supply both small populated localities and considerable ones, for instance, up to 100,000 inhabitants. And there will be no energy losses. We just need to understand where such small power plants should work," he said.