Norwegian nuclear research organisation Halden Kjernekraft has selected a site in Halden, Norway, for the construction of a nuclear power plant using small modular reactors (SMRs).
Halden Kjernekraft was established in 2023, by Halden municipality, Østfold Energi and Norsk Kjernekraft to assess the feasibility of a nuclear power plant in Halden.
The company signed a letter of intent with landowner Store Bjørnstad for the plant site.
It has selected a site covering up to 600 acres, located on the south side of the outlet of the Haldenvassdraget to Femsjøen, for the proposed SMR plant.
Halden Kjernekraft said it will further investigate these parameters in the next phase of the project, and other studies will be conducted to evaluate its relevance.
Halden Kjernekraft general manager Håvard Kristiansen said: “Nuclear power is still a long way off, but the time is ripe to investigate more concretely than has been done so far.
“We are planning a transparent process with the authorities and the local population, and we are now inviting an open public meeting.
“Now we will work closely with the local population to tell them about what the ongoing investigations include, and what a nuclear power plant could possibly entail. We will investigate the area thoroughly to see if we can go ahead.”
Halden Kjernekraft said it has considered several alternative options before finalising the current choice to further investigate the location.
The location was selected based on safety, cultural and environmental impacts, ground conditions, landscape, infrastructure, grid connection, and traffic, among other conditions.
Also, the company considered key factors such as stable ground conditions with large, flat areas, access to cooling water, and proximity to the power grid.
Halden Kjernekraft informed the residents and landowners in the immediate vicinity about the measure and the further process related to the proposed nuclear power plant.
The site is thinly populated and is located right next to the county road, which can be used for power plant operations, without the need to build a new access road.
Furthermore, the site is already facing a significant natural encroachment in the form of a wide power corridor, said Halden Kjernekraft.
Kristiansen added: “Such a facility will be an encroachment on nature, but we will work to minimise encroachment and take mitigating measures, says Kristiansen, who points out that the project is in a very early phase.”
