Sweco to design modern small-scale nuclear power plants in Finland
Published 13.12.2023
Steady Energy has chosen Sweco as its pre-engineering partner for small nuclear reactors. Small nuclear power plants are planned to become a new carbon-neutral production method for district heating, which accounts for about half of Finland’s heating energy.
Steady Energy’s LDR-50 small-scale nuclear reactor is based on the nuclear heating plant concept developed at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. A small nuclear reactor can produce district heat in a carbon-neutral manner for the needs of small, medium-sized and large cities. Since district heating nuclear reactors operate at significantly lower temperatures and pressures compared to conventional nuclear power plants, they can be safely located in urban environments with a completed district heating distribution network.
Steady Energy’s goal is to further develop a commercial version of the small nuclear reactor for the international market. At the moment, the company has signed letters of intent with Helen and Kuopion Energia, among others, with an option to build a total of 15 small-scale nuclear power plants. The aim is to build the first small reactor already during the current decade.
Sweco is involved in design work in several different areas of expertise, such as 3D modelling of structures and systems and drawing up piping and instrumentation diagrams. The planning phase, which started in November, will last until summer 2024.
“District heat accounts for about half of all heating produced in Finland. Abandoning fossil fuels in district heating production is an important way to reduce Finland’s carbon dioxide emissions, and small nuclear reactors could play a key role in this alongside the utilisation of renewable biofuels, electric boilers and waste heat. Promoting the green transition is at the core of our expertise, and it is great that both our experts and expertise convinced Steady Energy,” says Jyrki Jauhiainen, Business Unit Director at Sweco.
“Sweco has long experience in nuclear power projects. Over the years, we have been involved in the design of all plants operating in Finland. Many nuclear power plants are based on light water reactor technology. Small-scale power plants have simpler technical solutions than those of large power plants. It is also interesting that now the end product is heat instead of electricity,” Jauhiainen says.
“In the preliminary design phase, our goal is to produce a complete concept description of the nuclear heating plant with drawings, which will enable us to significantly refine our cost estimate. We were impressed by Sweco’s way of leading the design process, and we will be working closely together on the development of the plant,” says Hannes Haapalahti, CTO at Steady Energy.
For additional information, please contact:
Jyrki Jauhiainen, Business Unit Director, Sweco Finland, tel. +358 400 382 686, jyrki.jauhiainen@sweco.fi
Tiina Varhee, Press contact, Sweco Finland, tel. +358 40 723 1231, ext.tiina.varhee@sweco.fi