The Apatity nuclear heating plant project: modern technical and economic issues of nuclear heat application in Russia

Traditionally Russia is a country with advanced structure of centralized heat supply. Many thermal plants and heating networks need technical upgrading to improve their technical and economic efficiency. Fossil fuelled heating capacities have a negative influence on ecology, which can be seen especially in the northern regions of Russia. Furthermore, fossil fuel prices are rising in Russia. The above factors tend to intensify the need for alternative heat sources being capable of solving the problem. Nuclear heat sources may be the alternative. In this paper, the main features of a proposed NHP in the Murmansk region are summarized. (author)