**A nuclear power plant could be on-line and functioning in northeastern Estonia a decade from now, according to one private sector nuclear energy firm. The plant would likely be the new small nuclear reactors (SMR) type, which are currently under development in other parts of the world – none are as yet on-line.**
While the company, Fermi, had announced it was filing an application plan last year, the energy crisis last autumn and winter and longer-term fears about energy issues raised by the need to de-couple from Russian fossil fuel supply have made the issue more pressing, while an EU Parliament vote on Wednesday resulted in some types of nuclear energy generation remaining within the definition of sustainable.
Kalev Kallemets, head of Fermi Energia, added that the plant would not require state support for its construction, saying: “If the decisions are made, it will get done.”
“If high-quality preliminary work and information can be conducted to make these decisions, if the market conditions remain as they are today, then the first reactor of its type will be nicely constructed, as today the processes are moving in Great Britain, Canada and the U.S. and the financing prospects are as positive, following [Wednesday’s] decision by the European Parliament,” adding that private investment in the company will give a “well over 50 percent” likelihood that the station would be on-line by or in 2032.
One reactor would cost a billion euros to construct, while up to four could be built, Kallemets said.
“Looking at today’s [energy] deficit in the Baltics, we need somewhere around 1,000 MW capacity today, while we have a deficit in any weather conditions, which rises the price of electricity,” he went on. The weather statement refers to the dependence upon conditions wind turbines and solar panels have.
“We need four 300-MW units in total. In the case of the fourth of these, we are seriously looking at producing on a large scale, in order to produce large amounts of hydrogen from that. In addition to electricity, fertilizer production also needs to be decarbonized on a large scale in Europe, and this is a very large market.”
Fermi has so far involved €3.9 million towards the development of the project, but investor interest is growing, Kallemets said.
The small and compact nature of Estonia and rapid decision making processes lend themselves to the project’s realization as well, he said.
As to the nuclear waste, there were two possible solutions, Kallemets added – burying in deep boreholes or sending to reprocessing plants in France.
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**A nuclear power plant could be on-line and functioning in northeastern Estonia a decade from now, according to one private sector nuclear energy firm. The plant would likely be the new small nuclear reactors (SMR) type, which are currently under development in other parts of the world – none are as yet on-line.**
While the company, Fermi, had announced it was filing an application plan last year, the energy crisis last autumn and winter and longer-term fears about energy issues raised by the need to de-couple from Russian fossil fuel supply have made the issue more pressing, while an EU Parliament vote on Wednesday resulted in some types of nuclear energy generation remaining within the definition of sustainable.
Kalev Kallemets, head of Fermi Energia, added that the plant would not require state support for its construction, saying: “If the decisions are made, it will get done.”
“If high-quality preliminary work and information can be conducted to make these decisions, if the market conditions remain as they are today, then the first reactor of its type will be nicely constructed, as today the processes are moving in Great Britain, Canada and the U.S. and the financing prospects are as positive, following [Wednesday’s] decision by the European Parliament,” adding that private investment in the company will give a “well over 50 percent” likelihood that the station would be on-line by or in 2032.
One reactor would cost a billion euros to construct, while up to four could be built, Kallemets said.
“Looking at today’s [energy] deficit in the Baltics, we need somewhere around 1,000 MW capacity today, while we have a deficit in any weather conditions, which rises the price of electricity,” he went on. The weather statement refers to the dependence upon conditions wind turbines and solar panels have.
“We need four 300-MW units in total. In the case of the fourth of these, we are seriously looking at producing on a large scale, in order to produce large amounts of hydrogen from that. In addition to electricity, fertilizer production also needs to be decarbonized on a large scale in Europe, and this is a very large market.”
Fermi has so far involved €3.9 million towards the development of the project, but investor interest is growing, Kallemets said.
The small and compact nature of Estonia and rapid decision making processes lend themselves to the project’s realization as well, he said.
As to the nuclear waste, there were two possible solutions, Kallemets added – burying in deep boreholes or sending to reprocessing plants in France.