Kind Atom Oy, a nuclear power consulting company founded by former executives of Finland’s Fennovoima, has begun cooperation with the Swedish company Kärnfull Next. The companies signed a letter of intent to form a new Nordic alliance, which would see close cooperation as well as cross-ownership.
According to the release, the companies share a common vision for a carbon-free future. In addition, the goal is to accelerate customers' nuclear power projects by utilising new plant technology that enables serial production of plant deliveries.
“Kärnfull Next's project development and financing expertise creates a strong connection with customers' decision-makers. We, in turn, offer our strong experience in project planning, organization and management. We are, of course, excited, because many projects are already in the preparation phase,” commented Timo Okkonen, the founder of Kind Atom and former Chief Operating Officer and interim CEO of Fennovoima. Sakari Kotola, Fennovoima's Senior Vice President, Communications, is also involved in the new Kind Atom Oy as well as former director Janne Liuko former head of Fennovoima's plant operations unit head of Fennovoima's nuclear safety department.
“The company offers new recipes for the success of challenging projects, covering all stages from commercial pre-assessments and permitting stages to technical implementation, commissioning and operation,” the company's press release states. Okkonen said Kind Atom is an operator independent of plant suppliers. The company, said nuclear power is an important source of stable energy alongside wind power, among other things. The company believes that simplified and mass-produced reactors can be built as early as this decade in several countries.
The two companies share the vision of a fossil-free future and see the need to help customers accelerate the design of small modular reactors (SMRs). They offer different backgrounds and areas of expertise that complement their respective market offerings. "Together, we share commitment, values and a strong drive to accelerate new projects," said John Ahlberg, founder of Kärnfull Next. “We are constantly meeting new customers with a great appetite for new fossil-free energy production. As we now have a number of SMR projects under development, we see the need to strengthen our offering with an experienced team of delivery experts. With Kind Atom, we have secured the Nordic region's foremost in the genre.”
Following the cancellation of Fennovoima’s Hanhikivi NPP project in Finland, in the wake of the war in Ukraine, the company earlier in June announced plans to reduce the number of employees from 356 to less than 10 by the beginning of 2023.
