Rolls-Royce SMR has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to consider the deployment of its small modular reactor (SMR) in Finland and Sweden. It will also help post-war recovery in Ukraine.
Under an MoU signed with Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy utility Energoatom, the companies will collaborate to explore future opportunities to deploy Rolls-Royce SMR reactors in Ukraine as it begins to rebuild. Rolls-Royce SMR has committed to supporting Ukraine’s recovery by deploying an SMR power plant “capable of generating enough carbon-free electricity to power one million homes for over 60 years”.
The MoU was signed on the 20th of March by Energoatom President Petro Kotin and Sophie Macfarlane-Smith who is the head of customer engagement at Rolls-Royce SMR.
Kotin said, “Cooperation between Energoatom and Rolls-Royce SMR has reached a new. Today we signed an agreement that will allow Ukraine not only to start a high-quality post-war reconstruction of the energy infrastructure, but also to become one of the first countries in the world to attract promising technologies of small modular reactors for this purpose.”
Tom Samson is the CEO of Rolls-Royce SMR. He added that “Thanks to our own British nuclear technologies, we can potentially help the people of Ukraine to quickly rebuild and restore energy security and independence.”
In May of 2022, Kotin stated that construction work on two new Westinghouse units at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant “will begin as soon as the war is over”. He went on to say that an agreement signed with Westinghouse covered the construction of five units. The other three units will be distributed at Ukraine’s other existing nuclear power plants.
Rolls-Royce SMR has signed an MoU with Finish utility Fortum to jointly explore the opportunities for the deployment of SMRs in Finland and Sweden. Fortum operations include the Loviisa nuclear power plant in Finland. Fortum announced in October of 2022 a project to explore the prerequisites for new nuclear power plants in Finland and Sweden. The project includes potential partner networks and cooperation agreements. Fortum said that it considers SMRs to be part of nuclear power’s future. It is “interested in the possibilities of nuclear in heat and hydrogen production”.
Laurent Leveugle is Fortum’s Head of New Build Feasibility Study. He said, "Fortum is happy to start a collaboration with Rolls-Royce SMR which is one of the forerunners in the small modular reactor industry. We are especially interested in learning more about Rolls-Royce SMR's delivery model considering Rolls-Royce's historical industrial experience.”
Alan Woods is the Director of Strategy and Business Development for Rolls-Royce SMR. He said, "Rolls-Royce SMR is honored to be collaborating with Fortum, as one of the most respected nuclear operators in the Nordics, and we see great benefit in the co-operation between our two organizations. The importance of energy security has increased dramatically and we see our unique approach to nuclear new build - focusing on delivery capability and cost effectiveness - as the best solution to providing low-carbon energy for generations to come. We look forward to working with Fortum during their feasibility study.” The two companies noted that “any potential investment decision will be made at a later stage”.
In addition to Rolls-Royce SMR, Fortum has signed cooperation agreements with EDF of France, Kärnfull Next of Sweden and Helen of Finland.