Small nuclear power plants that Rosatom proposes to build on land must be resistant to serious natural disasters — from earthquakes and extreme temperatures to tornadoes and strong winds. The state corporation explains this by the experience of operating low-power reactors on nuclear icebreakers, where equipment works for years in harsh conditions and withstands heavy loads. The details were revealed by Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Jakarta Globe.
Why Rosatom compares small NPPs to icebreakers
Reactors that power a nuclear icebreaker are designed to operate stably under shock loads. Likhachev noted that such loads accompany the operation of an icebreaker and are many times greater than those possible even during very strong earthquakes.
That is why Rosatom believes that the experience of the nuclear icebreaker fleet is important for the development of small nuclear power plants.
What will happen to spent fuel
Separately, Likhachev answered a question about waste management. According to him, if we are talking about floating power units, then the customer has no questions about waste at all.
The head of Rosatom explained that the company takes such a unit along with the spent fuel, and the customer does not need to do anything.
How the issue is resolved for land-based stations
In the case of land-based solutions, according to Likhachev, the issue needs to be divided into two areas. The first is the management of spent nuclear fuel. Depending on the agreements, after temporary storage, Rosatom can take it for reprocessing. Likhachev noted that discussing the details now is premature, but Rosatom's proposal includes the possibility of exporting spent nuclear fuel and reprocessing it.
The second area is radioactive waste. According to the head of the state corporation, decisions on the management of such waste are made by the customer country. This depends on legislative requirements and the adopted strategy for radioactive waste management.
Likhachev also noted that three research reactors are already operating in Indonesia, so such a decision, in his opinion, should be made comprehensively — taking into account all nuclear facilities, both existing and potential.