The floating power unit (FPU) Akademik Lomonosov has been connected to the grid, generating electricity for the first time in the isolated Chaun-Bilibino network in Arctic port town of Pevek, Chukotka, Russia’s Far East, Russian state atomic corporation Rosatom said on 19 December

adding that this happened after the Russian regulator Rostekhnadzor issued an operations permit, as well as permission to connect to the northern electricity grid maintained by Chukotenergo.

According to Rosatom, Pevek residents marked the plant’s connection to the grid by turning on the fairy lights on the town’s Christmas tree.

“After its connection to the grid, Akademik Lomonosov becomes the world’s first nuclear power plant based on SMR-class technology to generate electricity,” Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said. “This is a remarkable milestone for both the Russian and the world’s nuclear energy industry,” he said, adding that this is also a major step in establishing Pevek as the new energy capital of the region.

(Read full article: https://www.neweurope.eu/article/russian-floating-nuke-plant-generates-electricity-in-arctic/)