60 years of electricity without spent nuclear fuel: Rosatom’s proposal to Africa

At the Russia-Africa Energy Dialogue, Rosatom proposed a 100 MW floating nuclear power plant as a turnkey option for African countries, with a planned service life of 60 years. Vladimir Aptekarev, deputy director general of Rosatom’s Mechanical Engineering division, said the Akademik Lomonosov has operated in Pevek since 2020 and its fuel is reloaded every seven years. Under the proposed model, Rosatom supplies a ready-to-operate vessel and takes back the spent nuclear fuel, leaving the host country without responsibility for it. Aptekarev said 38 of Africa’s 54 countries have suitable coastlines and that energy pools could also supply landlocked countries.