Rosatom has completed construction of the hull of the second RITM-200 nuclear reactor. They will soon leave the Machine-Building Factory of Podolsk for the Baltic Plant shipyards, where the construction of the nuclear icebreaker Chukotka is in full swing. This is reported by TASS.

Chukotka is the fourth nuclear icebreaker of the 2220 Project. It is scheduled to be launched next year, and at the same time, the flag will be hoisted on the third ship, Yakutia, signifying its operational status. In 2024, plans are also in place to build two more similar icebreakers — Kamchatka and Sakhalin. All of them are equipped with two RITM-200 reactors, which, as stated by Alexey Likhachev, Director of Rosatom State Corporation, are now seen as a standard solution for modern icebreakers and floating nuclear power plants.

The RITM-200 nuclear reactor was designed by OKBM Afrikantov. Its unique feature is the integration of four steam generators into the hull of the active zone. This significantly reduces the amount of materials used and the risk of leakage from the first circuit — previously, steam generators had to be housed in a separate enclosure. Meanwhile, the liquid in the first cooling circuit moves naturally, which is sufficient for cooling the reactor. The reduction in reactor size compared to its predecessors greatly simplifies the assembly and disassembly of the device, which comes as a solid block. The RITM-200 delivers up to 175 MW in thermal output, providing up to 30 MW of power at the propulsion shaft, and up to 55 MW when used for electricity generation. This enables 2220 Project icebreakers to break ice up to 2.9 m thick and navigate in clear water at a speed of approximately 22 knots. Furthermore, the compact RITM-200 has enabled the new icebreakers to be dual-draft, allowing them to enter river mouths and ports along the entire Northern Sea Route, making them faster and more capable of navigating through ice. Despite this, they remain highly economical — the RITM-200 reactor has a lifespan of 40 years and requires fuel reloading every 7 years.

The expansion of the nuclear icebreaker fleet is a key aspect of developing the Northern Sea Route. This involves not only ice navigation for both transit and domestic voyages, but also delivering essential goods as part of the rapidly evolving unified Northern Delivery System. Increasing the number of ships is a fundamental requirement.

In addition to universal nuclear icebreakers of 2220 Project, Rosatom is constructing the lead nuclear icebreaker Russia of 10510 Project. This vessel will be twice as powerful as the new Chukotka — compared to a power of 60 MW, it will show 120 MW, enabling it to break ice up to 4.31 m thick and reach speeds of up to 23 knots. Moreover, Russia will be equipped with the more powerful RITM-400, further advancing the concept of a compact and efficient nuclear reactor. These will have a capacity of 315 MW. The Russia icebreaker is expected to guide large vessels with a deadweight of over 100,000 tons and a width of over 50 m along the entire Northern Sea Route year-round at a speed of about 15 knots.

Interestingly, Rosatom is not only focusing on nuclear technology — in early November, it was reported that the state corporation plans to build four diesel icebreakers, each costing approximately RUB 30 billion. The current fleet of over 40 ships is insufficient — regular navigation in the Arctic Ocean requires significant infrastructure expansion to reduce the cost of icebreaking services. This issue remains one of the most pressing, and resolving it would make the cost of transit through the NSR equivalent to that of the Suez Canal. Combined with much shorter sailing times, this would significantly increase cargo traffic.