News - Rolls-Royce розширює свою присутність у сфері малих модульних реакторів (SMR) в Європі завдяки угоді зі Швецією

Rolls-Royce SMR has clinched its third pivotal European contract. The Swedish utility Vattenfall and its backed company, Videberg Kraft, have chosen the UK-designed small modular reactors (SMRs) for three new units on Sweden's west coast. This signifies Sweden's first new nuclear project in over four decades. This multibillion-pound export initiative, strongly supported by UK trade efforts, follows earlier agreements in the UK and Czechia, positioning Rolls-Royce as the sole SMR developer with multiple binding commitments across Europe. The UK made strides in its nuclear energy ambitions under the Great British Energy – Nuclear program, forging a deal with Rolls-Royce earlier this year to proceed with initial SMR units at Wylfa in North Wales. Czech CEZ has already engaged in an early works agreement for deploying SMRs at Temelin, aiming for up to 3 GW from Rolls-Royce and securing a 20% stake in its SMR subsidiary. The Swedish contract, unveiled shortly after Rolls-Royce's alliance with the UK National Nuclear Laboratory and Japan's JAEA, seeks to drive advancements in High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) technology and its associated next-gen coated particle fuel. This undertaking complements the current 470 MWe pressurized-water SMR efforts, employing different reactor technology while adhering to the same modular construction and supply-chain methodologies. The UK has a historic legacy in pioneering advanced nuclear fuel types, and the announcement of coated particle fuel—credited for its enhanced accident-tolerance and high-temperature resilience in gas reactors—draws on the UK's innovative roots from the 1960s Dragon reactor program. TRISO fuel, emerging from these early concepts, is set to be upgraded and manufactured in collaboration with Rolls-Royce and its partners. In the US, Rolls-Royce collaborates with BWXT's Project Pele, a Department of Defense initiative for deploying a mobile microreactor using TRISO fuel, projected to be operational by 2028. While these strategic projects underscore Rolls-Royce's potential, similar to other Western reactor developers, translating these plans into active nuclear infrastructure remains challenging. As groundwork continues in the UK, the delays seen in larger reactor projects highlight the complexities and prolonged timelines of realizing new nuclear installations.