US to support SMR projects in Ukraine and Europe

16 November 2022


Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Ukraine Minister of Energy German Galushchenko, during the COP27 meeting in Egypt, have announced a Ukraine Clean Fuels from SMRs Pilot project that will demonstrate production of clean hydrogen and ammonia using small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) and electrolysis technologies in Ukraine.

The project aims to carry out a first-of-a-kind pilot of commercial-scale production of clean fuels from SMRs using solid oxide electrolysis. Building on existing capacity-building cooperation launched under the US Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of SMR Technology (FIRST) programme, the project seeks to support Ukraine’s energy security goals, enable decarbonisation of hard-to-abate energy sectors through clean hydrogen generation, and improve long-term food security through clean ammonia-produced fertilisers. Further, it aims to demonstrate Ukraine’s innovative clean energy leadership through the use of advanced technologies, the US State Department said.

Participating partners for the pilot include a multinational consortium from Argonne National Laboratory, Ukraine’s Energoatom, National Security and Defense Council, and State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, and private companies Clark Seed, Doosan Enerbility, FuelCell Energy, IHI Corporation, JGC Corporation, NuScale Power, Samsung C&T, and Starfire Energy.

In a second announcement, Kerry launched a new initiative, Project Phoenix, to accelerate the transition in Europe of coal-fired plants to SMRs while retaining local jobs through workforce retraining. Project Phoenix will provide direct US support for coal-to-SMR feasibility studies and related activities in support of energy security goals for countries in Central and Eastern Europe.


Image: Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry (courtesy of US State Department)



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