The advancement of the nuclear sector in Europe has reached a new milestone as Vattenfall has announced it is moving towards selecting a reactor vendor for the planned nuclear plant in Sweden. The requirements that each supplier will need to meet are vast, but essential. Sweden is the latest country to explore the potential energy generation properties of Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs. The candidates for the supply of the SMRs were whittled down to two main options: American company GE Vernova and British company Rolls-Royce SMR.
SMRs may reshape the global nuclear industry due to their efficiency
Normal, larger nuclear reactors are exceedingly expensive to install and construct, not to mention the enormous costs to maintain them. SMRs provide the same energy generation properties but at a much smaller scale and for much, much less. Sweden has opted to select GE Vernova and Rolls-Royce SMR as the two main candidates for the new nuclear facility on the Värö Peninsula.
According to Vattenfall, both companies have the required expertise in SMR development and could potentially deliver the required SMRs within an acceptable timeframe and budget. The specific requirements that are unique to Sweden’s Värö Peninsula were a determining factor in selecting Vernova and Rolls-Royce as the two candidates. The process now moves towards Vattenfall selecting one of the two as the main SMR supplier.
“This is another step on the way towards the first Swedish nuclear power construction in over 40 years. Our goal is a successful project on the Värö Peninsula, and by that we mean that there are prerequisites to begin operations within a reasonable timeframe and budget at the site available to us. A successful project also lays the foundation for further nuclear developments. We are already looking at the next step to build additional reactors where Ringhals 1 and 2 are currently located – Anna Borg, CEO and President, Vattenfall
The evaluation process has narrowed the selection down to two candidates
The substantial evaluation process was based on three main factors, namely technology, site and logistics, and commercial aspects. Sweden’s government has stated that the unique requirements that are essential for the new nuclear facility on the Värö Peninsula will further determine which candidate is selected as the final supplier.
The technological maturity of GE Vernova and Rolls-Royce SMRs has been assessed by the Swedish government and energy experts. At the same time, the SMRs that may be selected have not been built in Europe and therefore will need to be adapted to meet the specific requirements of the Swedish conditions to varying degrees. The selection process comes as the European SMR Alliance has released a roadmap for the acceleration of the nuclear sector.
“It is very gratifying that we have now, after an extensive evaluation process involving 75 potential suppliers, come so far that we have selected two. Our focus now is to reach an agreement with the state on the parameters of the financing and risk-sharing model, and to conduct negotiations and a deepened dialogue process with the two remaining suppliers.” – Desirée Comstedt, Vice President and Head of New Nuclear at Vattenfall
The next step in Sweden’s nuclear energy ambitions will be a vital one
Following the selection of the two main suppliers of SMR technology for the project will be determining which of the two main candidates can deliver the SMRs in a timely fashion and, more importantly, within the agreed-upon budget. Europe has seen a wave of nuclear projects being planned across the continent, such as the UK selecting North Wales for its own SMR deployment project. The evolution of the nuclear reactor from a large and cumbersome component necessary for energy generation to a much smaller reactor with the same capacity is nearly complete.
