OREANDA-NEWS. February 25, 2009. Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation and the Government of Yakutia have signed an agreement for implementing investment projects to develop Elkon uranium area, to build a uranium mining and processing combine there and to build four floating nuclear power plants for supplying the northern regions of the republic with heat and electricity.

When set at full capacity, the combine is supposed to produce ј of uranium consumed by Russia’s nuclear industry and to create almost 12,000 jobs.

The project will be partly financed by the Investment Fund of the Russian Federation and implemented by specially established “Southern Yakutia Development Corporation.”

The prospected uranium reserves of Yakutia are estimated at 319,000 tons or 6% of the world’s reserves. A total of 90.5bln RUR is supposed to be invested in the project. The full capacity – 5,000 tons a year – will be attained by 2024.

The parties are planning to attract private investors, including foreign ones.

The world’s first floating NPP with KLT-40S reactor is supposed to be built by May 2010.