Development Projects of Russia: Industry, Energy and Infastructure

General Director of Atomenergomash JSC (a division of Rosatom State Corporation) Andrey Nikipelov, in an interview with the Interfax news agency, said the following about the energy supply project of the Baimsky GOK and plans to create a line of floating nuclear power units (the corresponding fragment of the interview is given):

- This year, Rosatom State Corporation received a project for the energy supply of the Baimsky GOK in Chukotka. How many floating power units are we talking about for the project?

- According to the schedule that we have discussed with the customer (Kazakhstan KAZ Minerals) today, Atomenergomash should supply four MPEBs - these are modernized floating power units to provide approximately 320 MW of capacity. It is planned that they will work according to the 3+1 scheme. That is, three will work constantly, and the fourth will become a backup.

The first two MPEBs should be manufactured by the end of 2026. Their commissioning in Nagleingyn Bay is expected in early 2027. Due to such short terms in terms of production, we face super-complex tasks.

- Where are the MPEBs planned to be built?

- The MPEB is an unusual object in the sense that it is not a ship in the usual sense of the word. The main task of the floating power unit is energy supply. As for manufacturing, we will make the main power equipment in Russia.

Now, as for the shipyard: unfortunately, we see that none of the companies that are able to produce MPEB hulls can't do this in Russia today due to their current production workload. Therefore, Atomenergomash will place orders for the first two hulls abroad to ensure a short delivery time. I emphasize that we are talking only about the production of hull, because we will make everything else here.

Our plan is as follows: the MPEB body will be produced abroad, towed to Russia, where everything else will be installed on it - the energy part (reactor plant, turbine) and so on. Then complex mooring tests will be carried out, fuel loading, checking the operation first in cold, then in hot - and starting the power system. After that, we will hand over the PEB to the customer at the place of permanent operation.

- Which foreign company are you planning to place an order for the hulls?

- We are still in the process of selecting a contractor. Due to the tight deadlines, we first found out which of the companies is interested in the project. Then we conducted a technical audit to make sure that the selected companies are in principle able to produce the object we need. Now we are in the process of selecting a supplier from the audited companies.

- In which countries are your potential contractors located?

- Until the choice is made, it's too early to talk about it.

- Atomenergomash is also developing a technical project for an optimized floating power unit (OPEB), what is the difference between OPEB and MPEB?

- In order not to get confused in abbreviations, you need to understand the main line. The only floating power unit currently operating is the floating nuclear thermal power plant (PATES; Eng: FNTPP) "Akademik Lomonosov", which generates electricity and heat. These were the conditions and needs of its customer.

When we thought about promoting floating power units as a product on the world market, we realized that the demand for heat is absolutely not obvious - for example, in hot countries, electricity is definitely needed, but heat is not. Therefore, the main task of such stations is primarily to generate electricity. And when the function of providing heat leaves the technical task, the configuration of the floating power unit also changes.

The PATES is designed so that it can work completely independently: provide electricity and heat, store spent nuclear fuel, and normal conditions are provided for the crew, including a small basketball hall and other household amenities.

At the same time, we considered that it is expensive to build a full fledged residential block with all amenities and a gym, so in the OPEB project we are reducing the residential part, as well as removing the compartment that is "responsible" for storing spent nuclear fuel at the PATES.

However, we still have some doubts about the lack of a residential block on the OPEB. After all, if we talk about the Arctic climate - a strong wind, a blizzard, then perhaps it is better that the main staff still live directly on the block - it's just more reliable. Although, in my opinion, it is much easier and faster to build coastal residential structures than to provide them in the design of the OPEB, but these are already nuances.

The logic of using OPEBS is the supply of electricity and 8-10 years of operation. After that, the unit must be towed from the place of operation for routine maintenance related to the maintenance of the vessel's hull and fuel replacement.

In summary, the PATES is heat, electricity, a compartment for spent nuclear fuel plus a full-fledged residential unit for personnel. OPEB - the absence of a compartment for storing nuclear fuel and the reduced size of the ship's hull in this regard. But the key difference is a different reactor. The KLT-40S reactor is installed at the PATES, and the RITM-200 will be installed at the OPEB and MPEB. The RITM-200 reactor is 20% more power compared to the PATES and, accordingly, a longer period of operation without reloading the fuel.

The delivery of OPEB is not a quick process. To make an OPEB, you first need to finish its general technical project, and we are still in the initial stage with it. Therefore, based on the deadlines that we have, it was decided to produce an intermediate version between the PATES and the OPEB - MPEB. In it, we use most of the equipment that is not related to energy from the PATES project as a ready-made technical solution. The main thing that is changing is the reactor: two RITM-200 reactors are installed instead of the KLT-40S. Accordingly, the turbines are being changed, because the new reactor plant is more powerful and more powerful turbines are needed for it. If there were no such tight delivery deadlines for the Baim GOK, then we would have built an OPEB for it, and not an MPEB.

- That is, the MPEB is a modernized PATES?

- Yes. MPEB is a modernized PATES. It will have the same housing as the PATES, but the station will produce only electricity-without heat, and, compared to the PATES, it will produce 20-30% more electricity at the expense of another reactor installation. The MPEB also provides for a smaller number of personnel.

The electric capacity of the new floating power units is about 100 MW compared to 70 MW at the PATES, but they can be made even more powerful. If the customer needs more electricity, it is potentially possible to put RITM-400 installations on the PEB and get 200 MW of power already.

We plan to create a whole line of floating power units - with options both in power and in execution. According to the execution, we are thinking of at least two options - Arctic and tropical, so that such power plants can operate in different climatic conditions.

- Is the option of using the OPEB to replace the PATES for the duration of the repair, after the Bilibinskaya NPP and the Chaunskaya CHP are decommissioned, not being considered?

- This is a question for the Rosenergoatom concern as an operating organization. OPEB, of course, can replace the PATES in terms of electricity generation. A separate question is how to provide heat supply in this case, but it is technically solvable. If the customer needs it, we will find a technical solution.

- That is, you are ready to put an OPEB if there is a need?

- Yes.

- Is Atomenergomash planning to buy a shipyard?

- I very much hope that the topic of floating power units will develop. But, as they say, it is impossible to equally effectively own newspapers, factories, steamships - there must still be some kind of specialization. Atomenergomash has no plans to become a full-fledged manufacturer of ships - not energy facilities in floating design, but ships. We are not planning to build fishing trawlers or cruise liners. In this sense, we do not need a shipyard.

Atomenergomash is interested in securing reliable partners who, if necessary, will be able to produce hulls for floating power units in the time we need.

We are not interested in shipbuilding as such, but in equipment, equipment for it - a lot of large and complex "iron": large screws, shaft lines, pumps, fittings and much more. We have relevant business units: we have created a branch in Arkhangelsk, we will create a branch in St.Petersburg for the production of MPEBs. In any case, the topic of shipbuilding is interesting and important for us, but we do not want to build ships.

More information in the source: 

Shoigu named promising places for the construction of cities in Siberia. 

The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and the head of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS), Sergei Shoigu, in response to RBC, listed locations in Siberia that are promising for the construction of new cities.

According to the head of the RGO, an industrial center "Copper and Electrical Engineering" can be created between Krasnoyarsk and Bratsk. According to Shoigu, there are opportunities in this area not only for mining, but also for deep processing of copper and rare earth metals "for the subsequent production of domestic products with high added value."

In the same location, an "Aluminum Valley" can be created — a cluster completely focused on the production of high-grade products (high-grade products are a product based on several stages of processing of raw minerals, representing separate technological processes) for the processing of aluminum.

In Southern Siberia, according to the Minister of Defense, there are opportunities to create large-scale and highly profitable production with a higher conversion of coking coal.

In the area of Kansk, a coal-chemical production of popular plastics from illiquid raw materials can be created.

Around Lesosibirsk, there is a potential for the emergence of a cluster of "Forest and building materials" with high production of upper processing and an attractive economy.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg. If this had been feared in the past, there would have been neither Naberezhnye Chelny with KAMAZ, nor Tolyatti with Zhiguli, nor Divnogorsk, Bratsk, Volzhsky, Zelenograd, Magnitogorsk, Angarsk. You can list it for a long time. These are the very scientific and industrial centers that we are talking about now" – the head of the RGS noted.

He added that the created territories will become "new poles of attraction for both the population of the whole of Russia and our numerous compatriots in the CIS countries and far abroad."

"This is not just about the construction of new settlements in the taiga, but specifically about the development of Siberian macro — regions and the whole country" – Shoigu said.

The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the words of Shoigu, said that both the development of existing and the construction of new cities plays an important role for the country.

Source: 

I just don't get what the Minister of Defense has to do with planning the construction of new cities in Siberia

That would be like the Foreign Minister talking about the construction of subway lines

Just as with the permanent Covid-19 hospital addition construction and the construction of water reservoirs in Crimea, the Russian
army is a type of emergency response unit. Instead of cheap bitching about Shoigu like we have with Rogozin who dares to troll
the precious yanqui ubermenschen, perhaps some thought can be put into why Shoigu would make any statement on this.

The Russian government does consider global warming as an emergency. The army is a massive organization with vast material
resources that would make more sense to scope out and seed new cities than having random growth based on uninformed migration.
The army considers the logistics chains and can "game out" various scenarios for short term deployment.

The pace of climate change is rapid enough that historical city growth is not practical. It has to be actively initiated and facilitated.
Some construction and real estate companies are hardly the best options for this.

flamming_python wrote:I just don't get what the Minister of Defense has to do with planning the construction of new cities in Siberia

That would be like the Foreign Minister talking about the construction of subway lines

1) Military will have to provide initial assistance to any project of that size

2) Presidential election campaign

Gazprom and Rosatom are implementing a project to produce hydrogen from gas on Sakhalin. 

Gazprom, Rosatom and the Sakhalin Region have signed an agreement on the implementation of a project for the production of hydrogen from natural gas on Sakhalin. This is stated in the message of the gas holding.

"PJSC Gazprom, the Sakhalin Region and the Rosatom state corporation have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of hydrogen energy. The document defines the main directions of interaction between the parties in the implementation of the construction project in the Sakhalin region of a plant for the production of hydrogen from natural gas by steam conversion of methane with carbon dioxide capture" – the report says.

Gazprom may act as a gas supplier for the plant, and Rosatom will consider the possibility of its creation and logistics of hydrogen supplies to consumers.

In addition, Gazprom Helium Service and the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation have signed an agreement on cooperation in the creation of a natural gas liquefaction complex in the Svobodnensky district of the Amur Region. As part of this project, Gazprom Helium Service, as an operator for the transportation of products from the Amur Gas Processing Plant, plans to produce LNG for its own fleet, as well as for the needs of consumers in the region.

Gazprom Helium Service has also signed an agreement with the Amur Region, which provides for the possibility of using LNG produced at the complex for the operation of boiler houses in Belogorsk.

Source: 

The Cabinet of Ministers has allocated more than 7 billion rubles for the reconstruction of the TRINITY thermonuclear complex. 

The Government of the Russian Federation has allocated over 7 billion rubles for the reconstruction of the thermonuclear complex of the Troitsk Institute for Innovative and Thermonuclear Research ("SSC RF TRINITY", part of the scientific division of Rosatom). The decree on this 
was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, according to the website of the Cabinet of Ministers on Sunday.

"By 2024, the Troitsk Institute for Innovative and Thermonuclear Research plans to reconstruct the thermonuclear complex, so that it can then conduct innovative tests and developments on its basis. The resolution on allocating more than 7 billion rubles for this was approved by the Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin" – the report says.

It is specified that we are talking about creating a modern infrastructure for conducting scientific research in the field of thermonuclear technologies, including testing individual elements of tokamaks. Later, it is planned to build a compact tokamak with an ultra-strong magnetic field and a national tokamak of reactor technologies on this base. The institute can also create an experimental base for testing plasma rocket engines and a powerful neutron source for testing elements of thermonuclear reactors.

"More than 2.4 billion rubles will be allocated from the allocated amount for the reconstruction of the complex in 2022, more than 2.6 billion rubles in 2023, and more than 1.9 billion rubles in 2024" – the report says.

More than 700 million rubles will be invested in the project at the expense of the institute's own funds.

Source: p

Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex

Russian_Patriot_ wrote:Gazprom and Rosatom are implementing a project to produce hydrogen from gas on Sakhalin. 

Gazprom, Rosatom and the Sakhalin Region have signed an agreement on the implementation of a project for the production of hydrogen from natural gas on Sakhalin. This is stated in the message of the gas holding.

"PJSC Gazprom, the Sakhalin Region and the Rosatom state corporation have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of hydrogen energy. The document defines the main directions of interaction between the parties in the implementation of the construction project in the Sakhalin region of a plant for the production of hydrogen from natural gas by steam conversion of methane with carbon dioxide capture" – the report says.

Gazprom may act as a gas supplier for the plant, and Rosatom will consider the possibility of its creation and logistics of hydrogen supplies to consumers.

In addition, Gazprom Helium Service and the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation have signed an agreement on cooperation in the creation of a natural gas liquefaction complex in the Svobodnensky district of the Amur Region. As part of this project, Gazprom Helium Service, as an operator for the transportation of products from the Amur Gas Processing Plant, plans to produce LNG for its own fleet, as well as for the needs of consumers in the region.

Gazprom Helium Service has also signed an agreement with the Amur Region, which provides for the possibility of using LNG produced at the complex for the operation of boiler houses in Belogorsk.

Source: 

https://tass.ru/ekonomika/12297111

I have seen a valid criticism of making hydrogen from gas in Russia for sale abroad. It makes more sense to ship the gas and then turn it into hydrogen
locally (on some sufficiently large scale such as urban or greater urban). Shipping hydrogen is a PITA since it leaks through solid metal
and makes any metal brittle by diffusing into it. This makes all the hardware have a much shorter life. Making enormous tanks with specialized
polymer coatings on the interior to mitigate this issue is expensive. Such contraptions will not last for decades. Differential expansion will
cause the coating to peel off sooner rather than later.

Russia would be wasting huge sums of money by processing hydrogen. Just sell the gas for a markup if it is considered that it is too cheap
and more money can be made from hydrogen. Of course, for domestic consumption Russia should make the hydrogen itself, but following
the same concept in terms of shipping long distance as the source natural gas.

ALAMO wrote:

flamming_python wrote:I just don't get what the Minister of Defense has to do with planning the construction of new cities in Siberia

That would be like the Foreign Minister talking about the construction of subway lines

Well, you don't get the Shoigu phenomenon I suppose, as you can hardly find any materials in non-Russian for the matter.
He is the sole candidate capable to replace VVP.
One of the black horses for upcoming elections charged to run United Russia forward.
He is on duty since the 80s, always in charge when some real mess happened.
A true and real hero, with no doubts.
Being an ethnic minority, occupying one of the highest posts in Russian structures - a proof of its own.
He can speak whatever he wants, and he will be listened.

Yeah I get that, it's no accident that suddenly they're promoting his opinions on urbanization

It still sounds strange though. Like they're trying too hard to promote him.

And what's the point of Putin resigning if he'll just take a seat in the background while his chosen yes-man takes over the reins? The man is far too paranoid, his biggest flaw is his lack of trust in his own people.

Russian_Patriot_ wrote:Gazprom and Rosatom are implementing a project to produce hydrogen from gas on Sakhalin. 

Gazprom, Rosatom and the Sakhalin Region have signed an agreement on the implementation of a project for the production of hydrogen from natural gas on Sakhalin. This is stated in the message of the gas holding.

"PJSC Gazprom, the Sakhalin Region and the Rosatom state corporation have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of hydrogen energy. The document defines the main directions of interaction between the parties in the implementation of the construction project in the Sakhalin region of a plant for the production of hydrogen from natural gas by steam conversion of methane with carbon dioxide capture" – the report says.

Gazprom may act as a gas supplier for the plant, and Rosatom will consider the possibility of its creation and logistics of hydrogen supplies to consumers.

In addition, Gazprom Helium Service and the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation have signed an agreement on cooperation in the creation of a natural gas liquefaction complex in the Svobodnensky district of the Amur Region. As part of this project, Gazprom Helium Service, as an operator for the transportation of products from the Amur Gas Processing Plant, plans to produce LNG for its own fleet, as well as for the needs of consumers in the region.

Gazprom Helium Service has also signed an agreement with the Amur Region, which provides for the possibility of using LNG produced at the complex for the operation of boiler houses in Belogorsk.

Source: 

https://tass.ru/ekonomika/12297111

I think that's already been proven to be a bad idea, that's actually more damaging to the environment on balance than just burning the methane directly.
Because the conversion process is not perfect or 100% efficient; some methane escapes, as does some carbon dioxide, and the rest takes energy to convert.

flamming_python wrote:...And what's the point of Putin resigning if he'll just take a seat in the background while his chosen yes-man takes over the reins? The man is far too paranoid, his biggest flaw is his lack of trust in his own people.

What makes you think he will just take a back seaor that he doesn't want to retire?

Or that Shoigu is a yes-man?

And why should Shoigu be doing anything different? They have the plan that works, they just have to stick with it, you don't change the winning plan midway during the game

Why should any new guy suddenly start doing things differently for no reason?


USA and Europe have been doing the same thing for decades with only thing that was getting changed being people in charge

Did USA ever deviate from something? Throughout this century they have been completely monolithic and it worked great, it didn't matter who was in the office, nothwas changing in practice

They may be changing that now but we can see how badly that is working out for them, they should for their own sake go back to what works


Russia finally managed to build it's own deep state, now they can let the system do the work

I honestly find this idea of entirely brand new cities from scratch out in Siberia honestly kind of both worrying and pointless, Russia doesn't have the kind of resources to be playing idealistic settler expansion, and it's also the wrong time period for this at all, the era of great migration and settlement of virgin lands is long over, it's far too expensive for a variety of reasons.

They need to be going with the flow of trends, not expending limited resources of all kinds trying to swim uphill, if people don't want to live in Siberia, don't piss away money into building and subsidizing new cities for millions of people. What they came up with in terms of linking Artem and Vladivostok and joining them together with new construction is actually smart because you know what? Cities are the engines of economic growth and strength, they are titans of innovation and value-added industry, so in my opinion they need to be focusing on increasing number of cities with more than a million residents.

In fact, I will go even further, some may even become shocked, but I think they should even focus on adding even more population and economic strength to Moscow City and Moscow Oblast, again, if the trend is that population is gravitating towards this region because it offers high standard of living and pay, then **** it, augment this trend and build a strong economic base that doesn't require a circular effort of subsidization that doesn't actually grow anything or very little at all.

But to be honest I think all of this talk about brand new cities is just talk and will quickly disappear after the elections, as it should honestly. They only new cities that should be build is stuff like the joining of Artem and Vladivostok, and making it a million plus city. And doing this for other cities as well, such as Moscow, Peter, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar etc.

The more Moscow level cities, the better.

"Russia finally managed to build it's own deep state, now they can let the system do the work"

The interesting difference and the paradox built into the Russian system is the US/UK Deep State is just a functional bureaucracy answering to the ultimate source of power - the people who control the financial and monetary system. The same situation is incompatible to both Russian and Chinese state interests as that system is global, not national, and as the example of Russian oligarchs from the 1990s show, their personal interest often conflicts with state interests. Not sure how you balance economic neoliberalism with preserving state autonomy although both Putin and Xi are attempting that very thing.

Deep states are naturally emergent in every society. No government flips in and out of existence every 4 years with all new and unrelated
people. Interests and long term activity are fundamental.

The question is how rotten is the deep state. Clearly, in the US it is fully rotten and globalist. In Russia, the so-called deep state
is normal. It has not been hijacked by oligarchs and foreign globalist interests like the USA.

The term "deep state" is vapid without context and characterization.

x_54_u43 wrote:I honestly find this idea of entirely brand new cities from scratch out in Siberia honestly kind of both worrying and pointless, Russia doesn't have the kind of resources to be playing idealistic settler expansion

In fact, I will go even further, some may even become shocked, but I think they should even focus on adding even more population and economic strength to Moscow City and Moscow Oblast, again...............The more Moscow level cities, the better.  

I agree about Moscow part but they did say that these new cities would be built as satellite cities for large industrial projects not just for shits and giggles

Industry comes first, cities get added later

Small-sized curb-laying machine MBM-250

Hyundai has opened an engine plant in Russia. 

The construction plan for the Hyundai motor plant was announced in the spring of 2018, construction began last summer, and today the grand opening of this enterprise took place. Formally, the plant belongs to the engineering company Hyundai WIA, which is part of the Hyundai Motor concern. This is only the fifth Hyundai WIA engine plant in the world: two more work in South Korea and one each in China and Mexico.

The Russian enterprise was built next to the Hyundai automobile plant in St. Petersburg, 15.8 billion rubles were spent on it, more than 500 jobs were created. So far, the plant is working in a test mode, and mass production will begin in October. At first, only 1.6 Gamma series gasoline atmospheric engines will be produced here for Hyundai Solaris, Hyundai Creta and Kia Rio cars produced here. And at the end of 2022, the production of two-liter engines of the Nu family will also begin.

The plan for the first year of operation is 240 thousand engines, and later the company intends to produce 330 thousand engines annually in a three-shift mode. For the Russian market, these indicators are excessive: for example, last year we sold 166 thousand cars of three models (Solaris, Creta and Rio) with 1.6 engines. And even if we count all Hyundai and Kia cars with 1.6 and 2.0 atmospherics (including "screwdriver" SKD models assembled on the Motor), only 300 thousand were collected. That is, it is probably planned to export Russian-made engines.

Source: 

The Russian manufacturer of coffee machines made the first delivery to Georgia. 

The Russian manufacturer of coffee machines "Gufo" has launched the export of its goods to Georgia.

The first delivery of three machines has already been sent. At the same time, the company noted that supplies can also be sent to the countries of the Customs Union: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

"Gufo" has been engaged in the production of professional coffee machines since 2018. Their cost ranges from 200 to 350 thousand rubles.

The company is also developing an automatic coffee machine and a coffee machine for the home, the first prototypes will be ready by the end of 2021.

The company also opened a new production facility this year, which will significantly increase production.

Source: 

Hulls of two new floating nuclear power plants will be made by Wison Heavy Industry shipyard in China

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4395693.html

The operation of fuel rods with a new generation of safety fuel has begun at the Rostov NPP. 

Pilot-industrial operation of fuel elements of a new generation of safety based on the so-called tolerant fuel (ATF - Accident Tolerant Fuel) began at power unit No.2 Rostov NPP. This was reported on Monday in the press service of TVEL (Rosatom's fuel division).

"As part of the overhaul, as part of a batch of fresh fuel, three combined fuel assemblies of the TVS-2M structure were loaded into the core of the VVER-1000 reactor, each of which contains twelve fuel rods in an innovative design: six fuel elements were made using a 42KHNM chromium-nickel alloy as a structural material and six fuel rods with zirconium alloy shells with a chrome coating" – the message says. These technological solutions, the press service notes, allow either to completely eliminate or significantly slow down the development of a vapor-silicon reaction in the reactor core in the event of an emergency situation.

"The development of ATF is a key trend in the global nuclear energy industry in recent years, which is aimed at bringing the safety of nuclear power plants to a qualitatively new level, practically eliminating the possibility of accidents with negative consequences for the environment. In addition, individual variants of ATF with alternative fuel compositions can make operation more economically efficient without increasing the level of uranium enrichment. According to international experts, this product will dominate the global market in the relatively short term" – Natalia Nikipelova, President of TVEL JSC, is quoted as saying.

Source: