US-based energy equipment and systems provider Holtec International, Energoatom and Ukraine’s State Scientific and Technology Centre (SSTC) have formally announced the partnership to deploy the Holtec’s SMR-160 small modular reactor in Ukraine.
The consortium is aimed at binding the three companies into a cooperative undertaking to progress the deployment of the SMR-160 small modular reactor in the country.
The consortium document was signed by Holtec CEO Kris Singh, Energoatom president Yury Nedashkovsky and SSTC president Igor Shevchenko.
Holtec’s SMR-160 small modular reactor
The 160MWe factory-built SMR from Holtec has been designed to use low-enriched uranium fuel. The reactor core and all nuclear steam supply system components are located underground, and the reactor design incorporates many features including a passive cooling system to operate indefinitely after shutdown.
In addition, the SMR-160 requires no active components like pumps to run the reactor, and does not need any on-site or off-site power to shut down and to dissipate decay heat. The reactor is planned for operation by 2026.
The consortium is registered as a US company in Delaware with each of the three parties owning allotted shares, and its technology operation centre is planned to be in Kiev, Ukraine.
In March 2018, Holtec and Energoatom have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) that allows Ukraine adopt the Holtec’s SMR technology and become a manufacturing hub for SMR-160 reactor components.
The MoU also includes the licensing and construction of SMR-160 reactors in Ukraine, along with the partial localisation of SMR-160 components.
Holtec said: “This consortium will give fresh impetus to realise the objectives of the MoU signed by Energoatom and Holtec last year that envisages building of six SMR-160s at the country’s Rovno nuclear station site.”
Holtec plans to build four manufacturing plants at distributed sites around the world by the mid-2020s, and the Ukrainian manufacturing hub is expected to be one of them, mirroring the capabilities of its Camden plant.
