State company announces major step in project for new reactors at existing Ringhals site
Vattenfall will proceed with US-based GE Vernova (GEV) and British company Rolls-Royce SMR as it looks to choose a potential supplier for new nuclear power plants next to an existing reactor site in southern Sweden.
The Swedish state-owned power company said the process of choosing the two companies had begun with 75 potential suppliers.
Vattenfall now intends to submit an application for state “risk-sharing” for the project will choose a final supplier. Final investment decisions will be made “later in the process”, the company said.
In June Vattenfall said it had shortlisted GEV and Rolls-Royce SMR in an evaluation to potentially deploy new reactors next to its Ringhals nuclear site on the Värö Peninsula to the south of Gothenburg.
Vattenfall has now confirmed it has decided to proceed with GEV and Rolls-Royce SMR in the process of selecting a final supplier for new reactors.
It said both companies offer small modular reactors (SMRs) with proven technology and simplified designs that have integrated learnings from previous nuclear projects worldwide. Both use fuel for which Vattenfall has established supply chains.
GEV’s technology is the 300-MW BWRX-300. Construction of the first BWRX-300 unit is underway at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington nuclear site near Toronto in Canada.
Rolls-Royce SMR is developing a 470-MW unit. The company has been selected by the British government as the preferred bidder to develop SMRs for the UK.
Vattenfall is planning a project with either five BWRX-300 plants for a total capacity of 1,500 MW or three Rolls-Royce SMR plants for 1,410 MW.
The company also said it is already looking at the next step to build an additional 1,000 MW of SMR capacityat the Ringhals site.
The company said building a series of smaller units as opposed to single, large-scale reactors, brings clear cost advantages. SMRs require less space, need significantly fewer personnel, and lead to more manageable logistics.
The ‘Best Prerequisites’ For Delivery
Vattenfall said that given the conditions at the current reactor site on the Värö Peninsula, these suppliers are considered to have the best prerequisites to deliver within a reasonable timeframe and budget. “The process to enable new nuclear power is now continuing,” it said.
“This is another step on the way towards the first Swedish nuclear power construction in over 40 years,” said Vattenfall chief executive officer and president Anna Borg.
“Our goal is a successful project on the Värö Peninsula, and by that we mean that there are prerequisites to begin operations within a reasonable timeframe and budget at the site available to us.”
Sweden has six reactor units in commercial operation at three sites: Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals. According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, nuclear energy provided 28.6% of the country’s electricity generation in 2023.
The Swedish government is backing new nuclear, both large-scale and SMR. It said in November 2023 it wanted to increase nuclear power production equivalent to two nuclear reactors by 2035, with a “massive expansion” to follow by 2045.
Sweden’s parliament has approved a government proposal to offer state support for investments in new nuclear power.
