Facility to north of Stockholm could host six lead-cooled Sealer plants
Sweden-based nuclear reactor company Blykalla has said it will proceed with the next phase of planning for a small modular reactor (SMR) park in Norrsundet, Gävle, about 200 km north of Stockholm in southeast Sweden.
The company said it aims to begin the permitting process this year, following initial assessments confirming that the site offers suitable conditions for fossil-free energy production.
The proposed park is envisioned to consist of six of Blykalla’s lead-cooled Sealer reactors, with a total capacity of approximately 300 MW. This corresponds to the electricity demand of around 150,000 households, a large-scale industrial operation, or a medium-sized data centre. Blykall said the project is expected to generate 300-400 direct jobs and several thousand indirect employment opportunities in the region.
“The decision to move forward in Norrsundet is based both on the site’s favourable conditions and the growing need for stable, fossil-free electricity to enable industrial development,” said Blykalla chief executive officer Jakob Stedman “Gävle is a strategically important location where new power generation can support long-term growth and strengthen competitiveness.”
The project is subject to approvals from several authorities, including the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, the Land and Environment Court, the Swedish Government, and Gävle Municipality.
Subject to the permits and final investment decisions, the facility could become operational in the first half of the 2030s.
Blykalla said it will now continue site investigations and detailed studies, alongside maintaining a dialogue with local stakeholders as the project progresses.
Blykalla is focused on two projects – the construction of an electric non-nuclear prototype test reactor at Oskarshamn and the development of a proposed flagship advanced reactor design demonstrator known as the Sealer-One.
The company will use the Sealer-One prototype to prepare for mass production of the 55-MW Sealer-55, which will be used for both industrial processes and electricity production. Due to their modular structure these SMRs can be produced in factories and shipped to their final locations.
Lead-cooled nuclear plants such as that being developed by Blykalla are not yet operating, but are being developed as next-generation, or Generation IV, reactors.
In December Blykalla raised $50m (€42m) of fresh capital to accelerate its work on the Sealer SMR, which it says could help power data centres and other big tech or industrial facilities.
