Rosatom, Nornickel to look at building low-capacity nuclear power plant to supply Norilsk industrial district

MOSCOW. Nov 13 (Interfax) - The Rosastom State Atomic Energy Corporation and MMC Norilsk Nickel will look at the possibility of building a low-capacity nuclear power plant to supply energy to the Norilsk Industrial District, Rosatom said after an agreement on this was signed.

The parties will evaluate potential options, identify a priority site for the onshore NPP and its configuration, and will also agree on the best model to implement the project.

Given its strategic development plans, Nornickel is looking into potential options to construct new generating capacities, small power plants being one of them, Rosatom said.

A high-tech project of a low-capacity nuclear power plant based on the latest RITM-400 reactor unit may be considered as a priority, said Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev.

RITM-400 is a pressurized water reactor project with planned capacity of 80-90 MW.

Earlier, Rosatom noted the growing demand for low-capacity nuclear power plants around the world. The presence of reference projects within the country allows Rosatom to conduct an active dialogue with foreign customers. Projects in Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar are under consideration.