Russia to Start Producing Fuel for 'Arktika' Nuclear Icebreaker in 2016

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The production of fuel for Russia's Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker dubbed "Arktika" is planned to start this year, the TVEL fuel company, which is part of the state-owned Rosatom nuclear energy corporation, said Monday.

"Production of fuel for the new icebreaker's RITM-200 nuclear-power reactors with a 4.5 TWh service life — 2016," the company said in printed materials provided to participants of the VIII International Forum ATOMEXPO 2016.

The forum is taking place between May 30 and June 1 in Moscow, and is organized as an exhibition and business platform to bring together representatives from the world's leaders in nuclear power.

The fuel will be produced at a TVEL factory in the town of Elektrostal in the Moscow Region, according to the company.

Earlier in May, the director general of Russia's nuclear icebreaker fleet operator Rosatomflot said that Arktika will be launched from the Baltic Shipyard in the summer of 2016 ahead of its late 2017 planned launch.

Built by the United Shipbuilding Corporation, project 22220 is world’s largest and most powerful vessel of its kind. The vessel is 189.5 yards long and 37.1 yards wide. The ship displaces 33,540 metric tons. Fitted with two specifically designed RITM-200 nuclear-power reactors, the new vessels will be able to escort convoys in the Arctic, breaking ice up to 10 feet thick and 13 feet deep.

In 2014, the Baltic Shipyard signed a contract worth 84.4 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) with Rosatom to build two Project 22220 icebreakers by 2020. The ships will be commissioned in December 2019 and December 2020 respectively.