Fermi Energia to start cooperation with Canadian nuclear power company

TALLINN – Estonian company Fermi Energia and Laurentis Energy Partners, a Canadian nuclear energy company, signed a cooperation agreement in Ottawa on April 12 to develop a deployment program for small modular reactors (SMR) in Estonia.

Laurentis Energy Partners, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Canada's largest energy company, offers services on SMRs throughout the development lifecycle from feasibility and planning through construction, commissioning, operations, and sustainability solutions, Fermi Energia said in a press release. 

"Building on our owner's engineer and nuclear management experience, Laurentis is pleased to work with Fermi Energia to provide an opportunity for Estonia to confidently introduce SMRs into their energy mix," said Jason Van Wart, vice president of Laurentis.

Since 2019, Fermi Energia has been exploring the possibility of developing and deploying a SMR in Estonia to ensure a stable, clean, and reliable domestic electricity supply.

"OPG's excellence as a nuclear energy utility and their selection of GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 to be deployed at Darlington is a world-leading SMR project," said Kalev Kallemets, CEO of Fermi.

"Through this agreement, Fermi Energia will cooperate closely with Laurentis Energy Partners to develop an efficient and reliable SMR deployment program that will lead to successful licensing and financing of multiple SMR units in Estonia, to ensure affordable energy independence and decarbonization leadership of our region," Kallemets said. 

BWRX-300 is the reference technology for Fermi Energia.

SMRs are being explored worldwide as a cost-effective way to add nuclear energy to a region’s energy source -- as a reliable, non-intermittent and low-carbon source of electricity generation, useful in the fight against climate change.

"Small" generally means 300 megawatts or less, while "modular" means reactor components could be manufactured in a factory and shipped to sites for installation, for economies of scale in construction.

Laurentis Energy Partners provides solutions for customers across energy markets and in health care around the world, offering expertise in inspections, refurbishment and engineering, nuclear materials sorting and recycling, the production of medical isotopes, and the advancement of SMRs. In Europe, Laurentis has offices in Bucharest and Cernavoda in Romania.