Swedish company Kärnfull is a small modular reactor (SMR) project development firm. Kärnfull has formed a strategic partnership with Finnish SMR developer Steady Energy to introduce SMRs for district heating in Sweden.
The partners said the collaboration “leverages Kärnfull's innovative financing structures and delivery models to bring Steady Energy's world-leading district heating reactors to Sweden”.
Steady Energy was spun out in May 2023 from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. It has previously signed letters of intent for the delivery of up to fifteen LDR-50 reactors to Helsinki's local utility Helen and Kuopio Energy in eastern Finland. The construction of the first commercial plant is estimated to begin in 2028, with the first unit anticipated to be operational by 2030. Construction of the first SMR pilot plant in Finland will start next year with candidate sites in Helsinki, Kuopio and Lahti.
The LDR-50 district heating SMR has a thermal output of fifty megawatts. It has been under development at VTT since 2020. The LDR-50 is designed to operate at around one hundred and fifty degrees Celsius and below ten bar (one hundred and forty five psi). The LDR-50 reactor module is composed of two nested pressure vessels, with their intermediate space partially filled with water. When heat removal through the primary heat exchangers is compromised, water in the intermediate space begins to boil. This forms an efficient passive heat transfer route into the reactor pool, the company said. The system does not rely on electricity or any mechanical moving parts. These could fail and prevent the cooling function.
Kärnfull Next is a fully-owned subsidiary of Kärnfull Future AB. It intends to have the first commercial SMR operational at a new nuclear site in Sweden by the early 2030s.
Christian Sjölander is the CEO of Kärnfull Next. He said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Steady Energy to bring their sleek, cost-effective solution to. With Steady's reactor in our portfolio, we complement our electricity-focused Re:Firm SMR program with a new bespoke district heating program called Re:Heat. It will target municipalities in need of sustainable heating solutions.”
Tommi Nyman is the CEO of Steady Energy. He added, “We are very proud to partner with trailblazers Kärnfull Next. Sweden’s electricity consumption is projected to increase significantly to meet net-zero targets, driven by the electrification of transport and industry. This necessitates corresponding clean heating energy to maintain Sweden's carbon commitments.”
According to the partners, Sweden's district heating consumption totals fifty terawatts per year. Two-thirds of this consumption comes from biomass, with fuel costs rising sharply in recent years. The future of biomass within district heating is debated because it is seen to have more valuable alternative uses. In addition, the combustion of biomass leads to the emission of biogenic greenhouse gases.
Nyman said, “Heating a large city with biomass requires a pile of logs the size of a football field every single day, with a constant stream of trucks around the clock. It is high time that our societies limit burning wood to heat our homes. By combining our expertise, Steady Energy and Kärnfull Next are poised to bring SMR district heating to Sweden. It will help meet ambitious climate and sustainability goals.”