Russia launched a controversial floating nuclear power plant into the sea on Saturday, which is expected to supply energy to remote Russian bases in the Arctic.
The vessel Akademik Lomonosov has departed from the shipyard in St. Petersburg on its maiden voyage. It will travel across the Baltic Sea and the Norwegian Sea to the Russian port of Murmansk, Interfax reports.
The two reactors of the plant are expected to receive nuclear fuel then, said Pavel Ipatov from Rosenergoatom to TASS.
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In the summer of 2019, the ship will head from Murmansk to the Arctic Ocean to supply electricity and heat to Russian bases, and it will also perform desalination of seawater.
The power plant can meet the energy needs of nearly 200,000 people.
Its destination port is Pevek in Siberia.
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The project is criticized by environmental activists. Greenpeace recently warned of the possibility of a ‘Chernobyl on Ice’.
Moscow is strengthening its military presence in the Arctic to secure access to large oil and gas deposits around the North Pole that are becoming available due to melting ice.
