Norwegian nuclear project developer Norsk Kjernekraft’s subsidiary Fensfjorden Kjernekraft will begin an impact assessment study for a small modular reactor (SMR) plant close to the Mongstad oil refinery on the Nordic country’s southwest coast.

Bergen-based Norsk Kjernekraft said the decision is based on the fact that government ministries have already established a study programme for a similar project being run by subsidiary Trondheimsleia Kjernekraft in Aure and Heim municipalities in western Norway.

That project is to develop up to 1,500 MW of nuclear power from SMRs.

The proposed location for the Trondheimsleia Kjernekraft nuclear facility is a common industrial area in the border region between the two municipalities, about 150 km to the west of the city of Trondheim.