A Russian government watchdog has allowed the world's first floating nuclear power plant (NPP), Akademik Lomonosov, to start work, Rosatom nuclear energy corporation said.

Axar.az reports citing Sputnik

"Rosenergoatom [Rosatom's electric power division] has been authorized to use the nuclear facility of floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov for 10 years, until 2029", Rosatom's subsidiary said in a press release.

The unit is equipped with two KLT-40S reactor units, each capable of generating 35 megawatt of power, which is enough to provide electricity to a town with a population of up to 100,000 people.

The floating nuclear power plant has been designed to supply electricity to some of Russia's most hard-to-get areas in the Extreme North and the Far East, and off-shore oil and gas platforms.

The lifespan of the FPU is projected to total 40 years, but it can also be prolonged up to 50 years, according to Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom.