Holtec, Energoatom and SSTC have entered into a Trilateral Consortium Partnership to advance the SMR-160 nuclear reactor for deployment across Ukraine.
Mitsubishi Electric has also committed to stage two of the SMR-160 Alliance with Holtec with a large resource commitment.
Earlier this week in New Jersey Ukraine’s national nuclear operator Energoatom, the Ukrainian State Scientific and Technology Center (SSTC), and Holtec International ratified the creation of a consortium partnership that binds the three companies into a cooperative undertaking to oversee the deployment of the SMR-160 small modular reactors in Ukraine. The Consortium is a US company registered in Delaware with each of the three parties owning allotted shares. The Consortium’s technology operation centre will be based in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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 Rivne nuclear station site. President Yuriy Nedashkovsky of Energoatom and Dr. Kris Singh of Holtec and SSTC President Igor Shevchenko signed the Consortium document at a ceremony attended by senior Holtec officials and delegations from Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO), US Department of Energy and Energoatom.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Nedashkovsky said: “Nuclear plays a dominant role in Ukraine’s energy mix providing over 50% of the nation’s electric generation. I am confident that SMR-160s will provide a clean energy successor to the nation’s ageing fleet of coal-fired plants. We have a national consensus in Ukraine to build SMRs which has been reached after extensive research and consultations.”
Dr. Kris Singh recalled the long and successful business relationship between Holtec and Ukraine that has led to great outcomes. He mentioned the world’s first central fuel storage facility being built in Ukraine with Holtec’s participation as an example of great things Holtec and Energoatom have been able to do together. He claimed that Ukraine, with a large nuclear industry resource base and a sterling reputation as a capable nuclear plant operator, is ideally positioned to pioneer the deployment of SMR-160s as a global leader. He called MELCO’s role in the SMR-160 program as vital and critical to the SMR-160 program’s success.
MELCO’s Vice President, Noriyuki Takazawa, reaffirmed his company’s strong support of the SMR-160 program by pledging substantial additional resource to complete the plant’s instrument and control systems. Mr. Takazawa reiterated his company’s resolve to work with Holtec to bring SMR-160 to the global markets that are eagerly waiting for an unconditionally safe nuclear reactor technology.
Edward McGinnis, representing the USDOE, spoke eloquently of the role of entrepreneurs in America’s industrial capacity, and hailed the promotion of SMR-160 by a private company. He called the US government’s strong support of the SMR program a national imperative.
In addition to MELCO and the tri-party consortium, Exelon Corporation (Chicago) and SNC-Lavalin (Canada) are well known industry stalwarts working in the SMR-160 program. The reactor is currently undergoing the multi-stage review cycle & licensing in Canada.
