GE Hitachi Energy’s 300-MW BWRX small modular reactor, artistic rendering. Source: GE Hitachi
Estonia’s government approved an energy development plan in 2009, and officials in 2011 said they wanted a nuclear power plant operating by 2023. The government in 2020 created the Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization, NEPIO, a group responsible for assessing the prospects for nuclear power and providing the framework of a nuclear power program by the end of 2023.
The power station will include two GE Hitachi (GEH) BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) as part of Estonia’s plan to expand its energy infrastructure. The nuclear power capacity would complement Estonia’s existing and planned renewable energy resources.
BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems, based on GEH’s ESBWR boiling water reactor design and licensing.
Fermi Energia said the application marks six years of planning, including 71 studies, collaboration with 32 partners, and a total investment of €1.4m in research and analysis.
The privately held nuclear energy company also held over 50 information sessions across the Virumaa region of northeastern Estonia, engaging 500+ residents across 15 localities, including Aa, Aseri, Kiviõli, and Kohtla-Järve.
The municipal councils of Viru-Nigula and Lüganuse have agreed to join the spatial planning process, with decisions made in September 2023 and March 2024, respectively.
Estonia’s nuclear power project will consist of three phases.
During the site confirmation phase (2027-2029), detailed site-specific studies will be conducted that will assess technical compatibility and analysis of location-based factors.
Fermi Energia plans to submit a construction permit application in 2029, with construction for the proposed plant starting in 2031.
The first of two SMRs is expected to be operational by mid-2035.
Fermi Energia CEO Kalev Kallemets said: “A state spatial plan is essential for identifying the optimal nuclear power plant location that aligns with both technical requirements and community interests.
“While initiating this planning process doesn’t guarantee construction, it establishes the foundation for future decision-making.
“Recent trends in electricity consumption underscore Estonia’s need for reliable, controllable energy capacity to ensure system stability and maintain competitive electricity prices in the coming decades.”
Much of the Estonia’s current power generation comes from burning oil shale and fuel oils in Narva Power Plants, part of a power generation complex near the Russian border. The complex includes the world’s two largest oil shale-fired thermal power plants, Eesti Power Plant (Eesti Elektrijaam) and Balti Power Plant (Balti Elektrijaam).