World Nuclear News. (2023, July 20). Russian designs for underwater nuclear power plant in Arctic : New Nuclear. World Nuclear News. Retrieved July 23, 2023, from https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Russian-designs-for-underwater-nuclear-power-plant

 

The Malakhit Marine Engineering Bureau in St Petersburg, Russia is working on an autonomous, underwater nuclear power plant in the Arctic that will be able to dive up to 400 meters and have a capacity of 20 MWe. Submerging the power plant will “reduce the risk of collision with icebergs” and have increased seismic resistance while providing energy to remote territories where traditional power plants cannot be located.

 

When one thinks of nuclear power plants, they usually think of a cone-skewed cylinder in the middle of nowhere. This underwater nuclear power plant is a smart way of putting plants in places that may otherwise be impossible to place one, such as the arctic. It can provide power to remote areas near water and are easier to maintain since they are mostly autonomous and only need maintenance every three months. I am very interested in how more of these power plants will be used in the future.