Finnish firm to advise Estonia on its nuclear power station project
Finnish energy consultancy firm TVO Nuclear Services (TVONS) and Estonian company Fermi Energia have signed a framework agreement.
TVONS is set to advise Estonia on its planned small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant development, and the deal aims to ensure that the Fermi Energia-led project progresses in accordance with international requirements, industry best practices, and safety standards, Fermi Energia said.
Fermi Energia aims to build a power station in Estonia which would comprise two 300 MW SMRs to ensure weather-independent and emission-free electricity generation for the coming decades.
Fermi Energia said incorporating Finland's nuclear energy experience is an important component in advancing the project: Finland has two nuclear power stations, at Loviisa and Olkiluoto. A third project in Oulu, in conjunction with Russian group Rosatom, was scrapped shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The TVO Group's experience in delivering large nuclear projects, operating plants, and maintaining a strong safety culture provides a solid foundation for planning and implementing Estonia's small modular reactor, Fermi said.
"Under the cooperation agreement, we have launched the next phase of work and will provide updates on the project's progress at appropriate stages," Fermi Energia board member Henri Ormus added.
"The task of TVONS is to bring project experience and practical solutions that contribute to its safe and efficient implementation," said Ari Leppänen, the company's CEO.
TVONS' expertise will cover the main project stages, from project initiation and permit preparation to the evaluation of procurement and construction models, as well as supporting plant commissioning and operational readiness.
TVONS is a subsidiary of Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), the operator of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. TVO has been generating electricity from nuclear energy in Finland since 1978, and has extensive experience in planning and managing new nuclear facilities — both from the perspective of the client and that of the future plant operator.
While a Soviet-era RMBK nuclear power station existed at Ignalina in Lithuania, Estonia has never had a nuclear facility of that kind. A Soviet submarine training center at Paldiski had two nuclear reactors, long-since decommissioned. The bulk of Estonia's electricity generation needs were met by oil shale-powered stations, but as a fossil fuel this has fallen foul of EU climate goals. The planned SMR power station will likely not be up and running for at least a decade.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
