Swedish nuclear technical services provider Studsvik has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Nordic energy company Fortum to explore the conditions for new nuclear at the Studsvik site near Nyköping in Sweden.
In the long term there is a possibility for new nuclear power on the Studsvik site, either in the form of commercial reactors, research reactors or a combination of both. In that case, Studsvik said its role will be to make land available and contribute with its expertise in various areas – not to build or operate NPPs on its own.
"Studsvik is positive to new nuclear as a part of the green transition, since it constitutes fossil free, efficient, and plannable electricity production. We welcome Fortum as a partner to investigate the possibility of establishing new nuclear on the Studsvik site, which is a classic nuclear area with an infrastructure already adapted to nuclear operations." noted Studsvik President & CEO Camilla Hoflund.
The MOU is part of Fortum's Nuclear Feasibility Study launched in October 2022. During the two-year programme, Fortum will explore commercial, technological, and societal (political, legal, and regulatory) conditions both for small modular reactors (SMRs) and conventional large reactors in Finland and Sweden. The study is also investigating new partnerships and business models.
"A lot of new electricity generation will be needed across the Nordic region to meet future electricity demand in our societies and industries. I am very satisfied as this agreement shows our ambition to support Sweden's green transition in the long term," said Fortum’s Vice President for New Nuclear, Laurent Leveugle.
The agreement, which initiates a process to assess the potential to construct new nuclear at the Studsvik site, will initially identify potential business models and technical solutions for further development. In addition to the MOU with Studsvik, Fortum has also signed cooperation agreements with US Westinghouse Electric Company, Korea’s KHNP, Rolls-Royce SMR, EDF, Swedish SMR project development company Kärnfull Next as well as Finnish Outokumpu and Helen.
Studsvik said the MOU with Fortum will run in parallel with earlier announced agreements with Kärnfull Next and lead-cooled SMR technology developer Blykalla (formerly known as LeadCold). Studsvik signed an MOU with Kärnfull Next, which is also investigating the possibility of constructing and operating SMRs at Nyköping. In March 2022, Kärnfull Next signed an agreement with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on the possible deployment of its BWRX-300 SMR in Sweden. Blykalla plans to conduct a feasibility study on the construction and operation of a demonstration SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) with associated infrastructure for fuel fabrication in Nyköping.
Image: The Studsvik site near Nyköping in Sweden (courtesy of Studsvik)
