Fermi Energia Chose GE Hitachi For The First SMR In Estonia

The Estonian nuclear energy company Fermi Energia announced the selection of GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 as the technology for the first planned Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in Estonia.

The BWRX-300 is a 300 MW water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH’s U.S. NRC-certified ESBWR.

GE Hitachi (ENS Corporate Member) has recently signed the first commercial contract for a grid-scale SMR in North America, to be deployed at OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear Project site, in Canada.

Furthermore, the UK and Poland have already submitted applications to the related State nuclear regulatory bodies. At the same time, GEH has memoranda of understanding or other agreements in place with companies in the USA, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, among others, to explore the deployment of the technology.

The BWRX-300 is in principle a boiling water reactor, which is used and well known by many European countries, including Finland and Sweden. […] it is possible to rely on the experience of neighbors and offer the consumer clean electricity at an affordable and stable price”

said Kalev Kallemets, CEO of Fermi Energia.

In order to build a nuclear power plant in Estonia, a decision of the national Parliament to enable nuclear energy in Estonia is needed. Also, the initiation of a special national plan to find a suitable location for the plant, as well as the development of nuclear energy legislation are required.

So the Estonian government formally approved on April 2021 the formation of a Nuclear Energy Working Group (NEPIO), tasked with analyzing the possibility of introducing nuclear energy in Estonia.

Energy security, sustainability, competitiveness, and the achievement of climate objectives for 2050 are the main reasons to consider nuclear, the Estonian Minister then said.

Read the full Fermi Energia Press Release.