Baltic country could decide on construction of reactors in 2028
The US and Lithuania have signed an agreement in Washington to cooperate in the development of the Baltic country’s nuclear power programme and a potential introduction of small modular reactors (SMRs), a statement by the US Department of Energy (DOE) said.
According to the statement, the agreement represents a first such move by the DOE with a specific focus on the deployment of Generation IV SMRs.
The DOE said the agreement will establish a partnership between the US and Lithuania in the commercial nuclear sector and will support Lithuania’s “ambitious objective” to have a net zero energy system by 2050.
The collaboration could improve Lithuania’s ability to act as a regional energy exporter, especially as the Baltic states disconnect from the Russian electricity grid and integrate with Europe’s continental grid network, the DOE said.
The two sides agreed to exchange experts to ensure safety and security standards, the improvement of physical and security for civil nuclear facilities in Lithuania, and consultation regarding decommissioning and fuel management and workforce development.
The Lithuanian energy ministry said decarbonisation will require a large amount of additional electricity, with consumption expected to increase sixfold by the 2050s, from the current 12 TWh to 74 TWh.
The highest growth in electricity consumption is expected between 2030 and 2040, the ministry said, adding that to meet demand renewables will be deployed, but also new baseload power. The country’s national independence strategy and national energy and climate action plan will assess possible Generation IV SMR technologies.
Lithuania could decide on the construction of reactors in 2028 and the US has committed to provide a technology assessment report, which will include a market analysis, a life-cycle assessment, a siting analysis and potential project financing arrangements and sources, the ministry said.
Lithuania previously operated the Ignalina nuclear power station, which was shut down in 2009 as part of its agreement to join the European Union due to safety concerns linked to its Soviet-era RBMK reactor design.
Decommissioning efforts, sponsored by the European Union and other western donor countries, have begun at the facility with a completion target of the late 2030s.
Dozens of US companies are developing small and advanced nuclear reactors, but the earliest technological and commercial demonstrators are earmarked for 2028 or 2029, with commercialisation expected in the early to mid-2030s.
