China's Wison Offshore & Marine has won a contract to supply two hulls for a pair of pioneering nuclear floating power units (FPUs) to Russian state atomic industry company Rosatom.
Russian media reports quoted a price of $225.8m for the hulls, which are due to be delivered by the group's Wison (Nantong) Heavy Industry Co yard in October 2023 and February 2024.
They will be fitted with their 100 MW generating nuclear topsides at Russia’s Baltic Shipyard, a subsidiary of state-owned United Shipbuilding Corp.
The FPUs will be used to supply power copper and gold mining project Baimsky GOK in Chukotka in north-eastern Siberia. GDK Baimskaya holds the exploration licence for these deposits.
They will be located at Cape Nagluingyn and are scheduled to be in operation by 2027.
Transmission lines will be built to connect the units to copper and gold mining operations. Product from the mine will be shipped from the port of Pevek.
Russia plans to build a further two similar-size nuclear FPUs at Baltic Shipyard.
Domestic LNG producer Novatek had been bidding to supply a floating gas-to-power solution but the Rosatom opted for the nuclear option.
Reports said only Asian yards were invited to bid for the first two units, which were farmed out as the Baltic yard is busy with Russia’s nuclear ice-breaker construction programme.
Russian media reports that the first nuclear FPU is already in operation, naming the 70 MW Akademik Lomonosov, which is moored off Pevek supplying power for domestic use.
Domestic LNG producer Novatek had been bidding to supply a floating gas-to-power solution but Rosatom opted for the nuclear option.
