According to MANA,The vessel, expected to have a 110 MW power unit, was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said at a conference held last week in Moscow by the Russian International Affairs Council.
“It has been decided to start the design stage of a new project, a nuclear powered Leader-class icebreaker with a 110MW power unit. The decision to launch its construction will be taken soon,” Rogozin said.
Local media reports Rogozin saying: “We will be able to use the Northern Sea Route year-round and in any weather conditions, breaking through the ice not only for existing Arctic vessels but also for the largest gas carriers.”
Rogozin said the government viewed the Arctic as a testing ground for innovation and that new materials and fuel designed for use in extremely low temperatures will be tested in the Arctic in the next few years.
Back in 2010, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would build at least three new-generation nuclear icebreakers between 2012 and 2020.