Russia to move floating NUCLEAR PLANT branded 'sitting duck for TERRORISTS' this week

The Akademik Lomonosov, a barge containing two nuclear reactors, is about to be moved from St Petersburg to Murmansk in Russia’s Far East from Friday this week.

A Russian Navy ship will escort the 21,000 tonne floating nuclear plant from St Petersburg, where it was built, through the Baltic and North Seas en route to Murmansk.

Once in Murmansk, the Akademik Lomonosov will be towed to Pevek, a port in eastern Russia, where power will be generated for a variety of purposes by 2019.

Russia has committed an estimated £337million ($480million) to build and install the Akademik Lomonosov, whose reactors are upgraded versions of Taymyr-class icebreakers.

Technicians have been carrying out tests to establish the safety of the nuclear reactors before the Akademik Lomonosov is shipped to Murmansk.

The 144 metre (474 ft) barge, launched on June 30 2010, is expected to arrive in Murmansk on May 20 this year.

But given such a project has never been attempted before, grave concerns have been raised by environmental campaigners and locals worried about the potential dangers.

Campaigners for Greenpeace, an environmental charity, has have called the Akademik Lomonosov a “dangerous experiment”.