Company working with GEH on deployment of BWRX-300 reactor technology
Sweden-based small modular reactor (SMR) project development company Kärnfull Next has signed cooperation agreements with landowners to conduct feasibility studies on two properties in Karlshamn municipality in southern Sweden.
Kärnfull Next said that over the past year, Karlshamn has been recognised as a strategically important site for new nuclear power in Sweden. The municipality has, among other things, received funding from the Swedish environmental protection agency Naturvårdsverket to investigate the possibilities for new nuclear energy production.
Analysis by the region of Blekinge – of which Karlshamn is a part – concluded the area as one of the most promising in the country for establishing SMRs. The national coordinator for new nuclear power, Carl Berglof, said recently that Karlshamn could rank among the top 10 potential locations for future reactor projects.
“Karlshamn has several advantages that make it a strong candidate for new nuclear power,” said John Ahlberg, chief strategy officer at Kärnfull Next.
“The existing energy infrastructure, grid connectivity, and the regional industry’s need for a stable power supply are factors that make Elleholm and Guo-Kopagarda [two areas in Karlshamn] particularly interesting for further analysis.”
Background: Several Municipalities In Line For Nuclear
Kärnfull Next said last week it was moving ahead with plans to develop an SMR park with four to six nuclear plants in the southeast of the country.
The company said it has secured land rights for the project in the municipality of Valdemarsvik in Ostergotland county, south of the capital Stockholm.
The decision is based on a new cooperation agreement with landowner Latona Group, securing permanent land rights for the project.
Kärnfull Next has been carrying out site selection and feasibility studies in several municipalities in Sweden since 2022.
The company is working with reactor companies and utilities including GE Hitachi (GEH), developer of the BWRX-300 SMR, and Finnish state energy company Fortum to develop and package ready-to-build projects.
In 2022 Kärnfull Next said it had signed an agreement to work with GEH on the deployment of its BWRX-300 SMR technology in Scandinavia. It also signed a memorandum of understanding with Fortum to jointly explore opportunities for developing SMRs in Sweden.
Kärnfull Next said it offers “versatile energy hubs” that can be sited either on or offshore. For offshore delivery the hub will be delivered as a barge assembled in shipyards.
The company is aiming to bundle SMRs with solid oxide electrolysers to provide electricity and clean hydrogen.
