A Norwegian power company that plans to build small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) for data centres and other power-intensive industries has signed another agreement with a local municipality, taking the total number of agreements to nine.

Norsk Kjernekraft says it will develop the reactors to provide off-grid power near data centres and other industrial customers that require reliable power and to help ease the pressure on the country’s power network.

It says the waste heat generated by SMRs can also be harnessed for manufacturing processes and district heating systems.

The company announced recently that it had signed an agreement with the municipality of Lyngdal in the south of the country to cooperate on an inquiry into the deployment of SMRs in the area.