Fourth Finnish municipality to evaluate nuclear district heating.

Finnish small modular reactor developer Steady Energy has entered into a letter of intent with municipal energy firm Alva-yhtiöt Oy to explore the potential of SMRs as a district heating source for Jyväskylä, located in central Finland.

The two organizations have initiated a year-long preliminary study to assess the viability of nuclear heating in Jyväskylä, focusing on regulations, local approval, potential sites, zoning, technology, and costs. They will also examine suitable locations for a potential facility, analyze the economic aspects of the technology, and evaluate a possible construction timeline. No decisions on implementation or technology choice will be made at this time.

Following this assessment, the companies will determine whether to proceed to a more detailed phase, referred to as the pre-planning phase.

“If realized, this small nuclear power initiative would be a long-term, staged process,” stated Alva. “It will involve extensive research, planning, various licensing processes, and evaluations and approvals from regulatory bodies.”

Alva, which is entirely owned by the City of Jyväskylä, aims to develop the city’s energy production towards low-emission, reliable, and predictable solutions in the long term. Some of its existing production capabilities will become obsolete in the coming decades, making replacement a key strategic issue for the company. Consequently, Alva is exploring various options for future heating production.

“We want to thoroughly examine whether small-scale nuclear power could be a viable option for Jyväskylä's future heating needs,” remarked Alva Production Director Alex Schreckenbach. “At this point, we are not making an investment decision; instead, we are gathering information to aid in our final decision.”

“Jyväskylä is the fourth city in Finland considering SMR heating as a replacement for combustion-based energy sources,” pointed out Steady Energy CEO Tommi Nyman. “Finnish energy firms, like Alva, are leading the way in developing sustainable heating solutions.”

In addition to Jyväskylä, there are ongoing SMR heating projects in Helsinki, Kuopio, and Kerava. In December 2023, Steady Energy signed a letter of intent with Kuopion Energia from Eastern Finland, which includes a potential option for up to five district heating reactors starting in 2030. This followed an October 2023 agreement with Helen, Helsinki’s energy company, for constructing up to ten SMRs for district heating. By October 2024, Kerava, located in the Uusimaa region and part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, will be the third Finnish city considering SMRs for heating.

Steady Energy's LDR-50 district heating SMR, boasting a thermal output of 50 MW, has been in development at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland since 2020. With operating conditions around 150°C and below 10 bar (145 psi), the company claims these conditions are less stringent than those of traditional reactors, simplifying the technical solutions required to comply with the strict safety standards of the nuclear sector. Steady Energy expects that an LDR-50 can be implemented within seven years, including licensing, at a cost of EUR 100 million (USD 116 million), making it feasible for municipal utilities to invest independently.

Earlier this year, Steady Energy laid the first concrete for a full-scale, non-nuclear pilot of its LDR-50 SMR within the turbine hall of the decommissioned Salmisaari B coal-fired power plant in central Helsinki. This pilot will act as a full-scale operational model of the LDR-50 reactor design.