Jun 12, 2025

A small modular reactor plant is suggested for a remote area in Norway.


Swedish small modular reactor technology developer Blykalla and Norwegian nuclear project developer Norsk Kjernekraft are launching a joint company to create an SMR power plant on Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago in Norway.

Longyearbyen, the administrative center, was reliant on coal until 2023. With the coal plant's closure, temporary diesel systems have been set up, leading to higher costs and decreased reliability.

The collaboration aims to provide a long-term, clean energy solution by constructing a compact SMR that integrates with the existing electricity and district heating grid, thus replacing the former coal infrastructure.

The project's initial focus will be on conducting feasibility studies specific to the site, establishing a model for future projects. It will also serve as a foundation for a wider implementation across Norway and the Nordic region, with more sites already being planned.

Blykalla CEO Jacob Stedman stated, "Advanced nuclear power enables decarbonisation where other technologies can't reach. Together with Norsk Kjernekraft, we are building a platform to deliver clean, compact, and reliable power to areas and industries that haven't yet benefitted from scalable baseload power — starting with Svalbard, where clean energy demand is urgent."

Norsk Kjernekraft CEO Jonny Hesthammer remarked: "This collaboration marks a significant development for Norway as an Arctic nation. Reliable and affordable energy is essential for maintaining a Norwegian presence in Svalbard, especially given the geopolitical context. With the closure of the Longyearbyen coal plant, nuclear energy is now the only sustainable option for energy security without fossil fuels."

This announcement follows the February signing of a memorandum of understanding between Blykalla and Norsk Kjernekraft to work on deploying Blykalla's SEALER in Scandinavia. The MoU outlines efforts to evaluate the potential for integrating SEALER into power projects being developed by Norsk Kjernekraft, considering site suitability, regulatory paths, and economic feasibility in Norway. It also includes collaboration on licensing, financing, construction, and operation of Blykalla's first reactor, SEALER-One, in Sweden, as well as exploring electricity provision for remote areas.

Blykalla, formerly LeadCold, emerged from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where lead-cooled reactor systems have been in development since 1996. Founded in 2013 as a joint stock company, it is advancing the SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) lead-cooled SMR.

SEALER-One, Blykalla's first nuclear reactor and commercial project, will demonstrate its technology while also facilitating pyrolysis, allowing industrial customers to use its steam for decarbonised biochar production. The company aims to achieve criticality for SEALER-One by 2029.

Blykalla has a letter of intent with nuclear operator Studsvik to develop SEALER-One at its Nyköping site in Sweden, with licensing efforts currently underway.

Norsk Kjernekraft intends to build, own, and operate SMR power plants in Norway in partnership with energy-intensive industries. It has notified the country's Ministry of Energy about proposals for four SMR-based power plants. In August, it submitted a proposal for a power plant incorporating multiple SMRs in Øygarden, west of Bergen, following earlier proposals for facilities in Aure, Heim, and Vardø municipalities. Recently, Halden Kjernekraft, in which Norsk Kjernekraft holds a 40% stake, submitted a proposal for both a multi-SMR power plant and a radioactive waste storage facility in Halden, southeast Norway.