Russia and China have been considering plans to deliver and install a shared nuclear power plant on a settlement built by robots on the surface of the moon. Head of Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, announced on Tuesday that Russia and China are considering setting up a nuclear power plant on the moon from 2033-35.

Russia and China team up for nuclear power station on moon

Russia and China planning joint nuclear power plant on moon

Russia on Saturday unveiled the world's first floating nuclear power station at a ceremony in the port of the far northern city of Murmansk where it will be loaded with nuclear fuel before heading to eastern Siberia.

Built in Saint Petersburg, the Akademik Lomonosov arrived in Murmansk on Thursday where it was moored in the port and presented to the media on Saturday.

Constructed by the state nuclear power firm Rosatom, the 144 by 30 metre (472 by 98 foot) ship holds two reactors with two 35 megawatt nuclear reactors that are similar to those used to power icebreaker ships.

The 21,000-tonne barge will be towed in the summer of 2019 to the port of Pevek in the autonomous Chukotka region in Russia's extreme northeast, 350 kilometres (217 miles) north of the Arctic Circle.

The barge can produce enough electricity to power a town of 200,000 residents, far more than the 5,000 live in Pevek, Russia's northernmost town.

It will be primarily used to power oil rigs as Russia pushes further north into the Arctic to drill for oil and gas and needs electricity in far-flung locations.

Vitaly Trutnev, who is in charge of the construction and operation of floating nuclear power stations at Rosatom, said such units would "supply electricity and heat to the most remote regions, supporting also growth and sustainable development."

He said use of such floating reactors can save 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

The barge had initially been scheduled to be fuelled in Saint Petersburg, but that work was moved to Murmansk instead due to concern in countries along the Baltic Sea.&nbsp

Built in Saint Petersburg, the Akademik Lomonosov arrived in Murmansk on Thursday where it was moored in the port and presented to the media on Saturday

Russia on Saturday unveiled the world's first floating nuclear power station at a ceremony in the port of the far northern city of Murmansk where it will be loaded with nuclear fuel before heading to eastern Siberia. Built in Saint Petersburg, the Akademik Lomonosov arrived in Murmansk on Thursday where it was moored in the port and presented to the media on Saturday. Constructed by the state nuclear power firm Rosatom, the 144 by 30 metre (472 by 98 foot) ship holds two reactors with two 35 megawatt nuclear reactors that are similar to those used to power icebreaker ships. The 21,000-tonne barge will be towed in the summer of 2019 to the port of Pevek in the autonomous Chukotka region in Russia's extreme northeast, 350 kilometres (217 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. The barge can produce enough electricity to power a town of 200,000 residents, far more than the 5,000 live in Pevek, Russia's northernmost town. It will be primarily used to power oil rigs as Russia pushes further north into the Arctic to drill for oil and gas and needs electricity in far-flung locations. Vitaly Trutnev, who is in charge of the construction and operation of floating nuclear power stations at Rosatom, said such units would "supply electricity and heat to the most remote regions, supporting also growth and sustainable development." He said use of such floating reactors can save 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The barge had initially been scheduled to be fuelled in Saint Petersburg, but that work was moved to Murmansk instead due to concern in countries along the Baltic Sea.

Russia unveils world's first floating nuclear power station

French energy giant EDF yesterday approved a contested plan to build Britain&#39;s first nuclear power station in decades but the British government said it would wait before taking a final decision. 
 
Britain&#39;s business and energy minister Greg Clark said the government would review the nuclear project, shortly after EDF&#39;s board backed a project which critics fear could bankrupt the French utility. 
 
&quot;The UK needs a reliable and secure energy supply and the government believes that nuclear energy is an important part of the mix,&quot; Clark said.&nbsp;&quot;The government will now consider carefully all the component parts of this project and make its decision in the early autumn.&quot; 
 
Before the deal can go ahead it must be approved by Prime Minister Theresa May. 
 
EDF&#39;s directors had been deeply divided over the planned construction of two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in southwest England for $23.8 billion. 
 
&quot;At its meeting on 28 July 2016, EDF&#39;s board of directors made the final investment decision,&quot; the company said in a statement. 
 
Ten members of the board voted in favour of the deal, while seven voted against, a source told AFP. 
 
Upping the tension, one board member resigned just before the crunch meeting, saying he disagreed with the plan, reducing the board of directors to 17. 
 
Unions seek delay 
 
The Sizewell B nuclear power plant was the last to go online in Britain, starting generation in 1995. 
 
The plan to build the latest generation EPR reactors, signed in 2013, is to be carried out by EDF with Chinese partner CGN, but has hit several snags since.&nbsp;The reactors are due to go online from 2025. 
 
Weighing on its viability is the decision of French nuclear company Areva to drop out because of financial difficulties and the subsequent takeover of Areva&#39;s obligations by EDF at the behest of the French government, which owns 85 per cent of EDF. 
 
This pushed EDF, which was already struggling under a debt mountain of $41.4 billion at the end of last year, to go further into the red, leading some to question the group&#39;s ability to juggle all its liabilities, including the renovation of France&#39;s nuclear operations and the takeover of Areva&#39;s reactors amid falling energy prices. 
 
Unions fear for EDF&#39;s financial survival and have asked for a delay of at least three years of any decision on the British nuclear plans, even waging a court battle to stop the momentum. 
 
EDF chief financial officer Thomas Piquemal resigned in March over the threat the project represents to the company&#39;s finances, and CEO Jean-Bernard Levy has acknowledged that the company&#39;s &quot;financial trajectory is taut&quot;. 
 
EPR reactors, developed mostly by France&#39;s Areva, are the latest generation of nuclear reactors and among the most powerful in the world, and according to Areva, the safest.&nbsp;There are only two other ongoing EPR reactor projects in Europe, one in Normandy in France and the other in Finland, and both have been plagued by delays and cost overruns. 
 
&#39;Too big to fail&#39; 
 
The French government has been doggedly determined to get Hinkley Point approved as it sees the project as crucial for the long-term viability of France&#39;s nuclear industry, which employs 220,000 people. 
 
Previous British governments have also been in favour because the reactors will cover up to seven per cent of Britain&#39;s electricity needs while helping the government meet its CO2 emissions targets because of relatively low carbon emissions from nuclear energy.&nbsp;But British support is not unanimous, and criticism focuses on the growing difference between an electricity price guarantee for EDF, subsidised by the British taxpayer, and current falling energy prices. 
 
EDF would be guaranteed &pound;92.50 per megawatt hour produced by Hinkley Point over 35 years, giving it an estimated nine percent of return on its capital.&nbsp;But Britain&#39;s National Audit Office has warned that the potential cost of this subsidy had risen to &pound;29.7 billion from a 2013 estimate of &pound;6.1 billion because of the drop in energy prices. 
 
There have also been environmental concerns.&nbsp;Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said the power station was &quot;terrible value for money&quot;. 
 
The EDF decision &quot;just shows the Hinkley deal became too big to fail in the eyes of British and French politicians,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP)

Britain's business and energy minister Greg Clark said the government would review the nuclear project and make its decision in early autumn

French energy giant EDF yesterday approved a contested plan to build Britain's first nuclear power station in decades but the British government said it would wait before taking a final decision. Britain's business and energy minister Greg Clark said the government would review the nuclear project, shortly after EDF's board backed a project which critics fear could bankrupt the French utility. "The UK needs a reliable and secure energy supply and the government believes that nuclear energy is an important part of the mix," Clark said. "The government will now consider carefully all the component parts of this project and make its decision in the early autumn." Before the deal can go ahead it must be approved by Prime Minister Theresa May. EDF's directors had been deeply divided over the planned construction of two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in southwest England for $23.8 billion. "At its meeting on 28 July 2016, EDF's board of directors made the final investment decision," the company said in a statement. Ten members of the board voted in favour of the deal, while seven voted against, a source told AFP. Upping the tension, one board member resigned just before the crunch meeting, saying he disagreed with the plan, reducing the board of directors to 17. Unions seek delay The Sizewell B nuclear power plant was the last to go online in Britain, starting generation in 1995. The plan to build the latest generation EPR reactors, signed in 2013, is to be carried out by EDF with Chinese partner CGN, but has hit several snags since. The reactors are due to go online from 2025. Weighing on its viability is the decision of French nuclear company Areva to drop out because of financial difficulties and the subsequent takeover of Areva's obligations by EDF at the behest of the French government, which owns 85 per cent of EDF. This pushed EDF, which was already struggling under a debt mountain of $41.4 billion at the end of last year, to go further into the red, leading some to question the group's ability to juggle all its liabilities, including the renovation of France's nuclear operations and the takeover of Areva's reactors amid falling energy prices. Unions fear for EDF's financial survival and have asked for a delay of at least three years of any decision on the British nuclear plans, even waging a court battle to stop the momentum. EDF chief financial officer Thomas Piquemal resigned in March over the threat the project represents to the company's finances, and CEO Jean-Bernard Levy has acknowledged that the company's "financial trajectory is taut". EPR reactors, developed mostly by France's Areva, are the latest generation of nuclear reactors and among the most powerful in the world, and according to Areva, the safest. There are only two other ongoing EPR reactor projects in Europe, one in Normandy in France and the other in Finland, and both have been plagued by delays and cost overruns. 'Too big to fail' The French government has been doggedly determined to get Hinkley Point approved as it sees the project as crucial for the long-term viability of France's nuclear industry, which employs 220,000 people. Previous British governments have also been in favour because the reactors will cover up to seven per cent of Britain's electricity needs while helping the government meet its CO2 emissions targets because of relatively low carbon emissions from nuclear energy. But British support is not unanimous, and criticism focuses on the growing difference between an electricity price guarantee for EDF, subsidised by the British taxpayer, and current falling energy prices. EDF would be guaranteed £92.50 per megawatt hour produced by Hinkley Point over 35 years, giving it an estimated nine percent of return on its capital. But Britain's National Audit Office has warned that the potential cost of this subsidy had risen to £29.7 billion from a 2013 estimate of £6.1 billion because of the drop in energy prices. There have also been environmental concerns. Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said the power station was "terrible value for money". The EDF decision "just shows the Hinkley deal became too big to fail in the eyes of British and French politicians," he said. (AFP)

France's EDF gives green signal for nuclear plan, UK defers