SMRs feature in Indian budget

24 July 2024

The Indian government has announced plans to partner with the private sector to develop small modular reactors in a 2024-25 budget announcement which recognises a significant role for nuclear in the country's future energy mix.

Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the post-budget press conference on 23 July (Image: Press Information Bureau)

The budget was presented to Parliament by Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, who said nuclear energy is expected to form a "very significant" part of the energy mix for Viksit Bharat, the government's strategy to make India into a completely developed nation by 2047.

The first budget since Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a third successive term in office in the general election which took place earlier this year sets out the detailed roadmap for the government's pursuit of its development goal, in line with the strategy set out in an interim budget presented in February. Energy security is one of nine priorities for achieving Viksit Bharat that was identified in the interim budget.

"Towards that pursuit, our government will partner with the private sector for (1) setting up Bharat Small Reactors, (2) research & development of Bharat Small Modular Reactor, and (3) research & development of newer technologies for nuclear energy," Sitharaman said in her budget speech. "The R&D funding announced in the interim budget will be made available for this sector."

The budget allocates a total of INR24,969 crore (USD2.983 billion) to the Department of Atomic Energy (1 crore is 10 million).

Sitharaman said the government intends to bring out a policy document on "appropriate" energy transition pathways "that balances the imperatives of employment, growth and environmental sustainability". As well as the commitment to nuclear energy, the budget includes a major project to install rooftop solar, and a policy for promoting pumped storage projects, which the government says will help to facilitate the integration of the growing share of renewable energy. A project to build a full-scale 800 MWe commercial Advanced Ultra Super Critical thermal power plant will receive fiscal support from the government, and a roadmap for transitioning 'hard to abate' industries to focus on emission targets will be formulated, she said.

India currently has 23 operable nuclear reactors providing some 7,425 MWe of generating capacity, with seven units currently under construction, including both Indian-designed and Russian-designed units as well as one fast breeder reactor. It has plans for a fleet of Indian-designed and built 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors as well as for large reactors from overseas vendors, including further Russian-designed VVER reactors in addition to those already in operation and under construction at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.

More recently, Indian attention has also been turning to small modular reactors (SMRs): In August 2023, Minister of State Jitendra Singh told the country's parliament that the government was considering options for SMRs, and looking at ways to allow the participation of the private sector and start-ups in such projects.

India's Atomic Energy Act of 1962 prohibits private control of nuclear power generation: only two government-owned enterprises - NPCIL and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI, set up to build and operate fast reactors) - are legally allowed to own and operate nuclear power plants in India. But the possibility of involving other public sector and private corporations in the country's future expansion plans has been under consideration for some time.

Earlier this year, government sources said India was planning to invite private firms to invest some USD26 billion in its nuclear energy sector, and holding talks with several private firms to secure investments to support the construction of some 11,000 MWe of new nuclear capacity by 2040.

RoPower and Fluor sign FEED 2 contract for SMR project

25 July 2024

Romania's Nuclearelectrica its project company RoPower Nuclear have signed the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) Phase 2 contract with Fluor Corporation for the Doicești small modular reactor project.

(Image: Nuclearelectrica)

The signing ceremony took place during the US Department of Energy-led Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) summit - the project has received substantial support from both the Romanian government and international partners, including a significant grant from the US Trade and Development Agency.

Under the FEED 2 contract, Fluor will provide RoPower Nuclear with the design and engineering services required for the implementation of the project, at the end of which there will be an updated cost estimate and schedule as well as the safety and security analyses needed for a final investment decision.

Romania's small modular reactor (SMR) project is aiming for 462 MW installed capacity, using NuScale technology with six modules at the former coal plant site at Doicești, each with an installed capacity of 77 MW. The SMR project is estimated to create nearly 200 permanent jobs, 1500 construction jobs and 2300 manufacturing and component assembly jobs, as well as facility operation and maintenance jobs over the 60-year life of the facility.

Sebastian Burduja, Romania's Minister of Energy, said: "This investment has the potential to put our country on the map of the most important global centres of energy innovation. Romania aims to become an example for other countries in the region, where there are dozens of similar coal-fired power plants that could be transformed more quickly into nuclear power generation capacity - zero CO2 band production - using SMR technology."

Cosmin Ghiță, CEO of Nuclearelectrica, said: "We are thrilled to continue our progress with the Doicești SMR project. The continued development of this advanced nuclear project is a testament to the strong partnership between Romania and the United States, reflecting our shared goals of energy security and environmental stewardship."

Pierre Bechelany, president of Fluor’s LNG & Power division, said: "We are pleased to continue our role in supporting this important project to deploy the next generation of nuclear power to produce clean and reliable baseload electricity for Romania and Europe. When completed, the plant will be the first of its kind in Europe."

As well as Nuclearelectrica, RoPower Nuclear, Nova Power & Gas (part of the E-INFRA group and joint owner of RoPower) and Fluor, Samsung C&T Corporation and Sargent & Lundy are also involved in works to facilitate the development and deployment of NuScale SMR power plants in Romania. Also this week, the US International Development Finance Corporation restated its interest in considering providing up to USD1 billion of financing for the project.

Steady Energy, Kuopion Energy enhance cooperation

19 July 2024

Finnish small modular reactor developer Steady Energy has signed a one-year pre-planning agreement with Kuopion Energia aimed at constructing a small nuclear power plant to start producing district heat in the city of Kuopio in the early 2030s.

LDR-50 district heating SMR (Image: Steady Energy)

As part of the agreement, Kuopion Energia will start an environmental impact assessment for potential plant locations. Suitable locations for the plant will be refined during the environmental impact assessment process, Steady Energy noted, adding that, generally, suitable places in cities include existing industrial sites.

"The investment decision will be made by Kuopion Energia, which will also seek necessary zoning changes in due course," Steady Energy said. "Zoning decisions are the responsibility of the City of Kuopio. The estimated construction time is 3.5 years."

Steady Energy's LDR-50 district heating SMR - with a thermal output of 50 MW - has been under development at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland since 2020. Designed to operate at around 150°C and below 10 bar (145 psi), the company says its "operating conditions are less demanding compared with those of traditional reactors, simplifying the technical solutions needed to meet the high safety standards of the nuclear industry". It noted that its reactors are affordable enough for municipal utilities to invest in independently.

"LDR-50 is a small and simple nuclear reactor which would help Kuopio to achieve its climate goals and provide affordable energy for heating the city," Steady Energy said. "The newly signed agreement initiates practical work towards an investment decision for the plant."

Last month, Steady Energy said it is set to start construction of its first LDR-50 district heating reactor pilot plant in Finland next year. Currently, the proposed locations for the pilot plant include: Salmisaari caves in central Helsinki; Huuhanmäki caves in Kuopio, the regional capital of North Savo in eastern Finland; and the power plant sites at Kymijärvi and Teivaanmäki in Lahti, a regional capital in southern Finland.

In December 2023, the company signed a letter of intent with municipal energy company Kuopion Energia in Eastern Finland that includes an option for the construction of up to five district heating reactors starting in 2030. That agreement followed a letter of intent signed in October between Steady Energy and Helsinki's energy company Helen for the construction of up to 10 SMRs for district heating.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News