Dalane Kärnkraft has submitted a white paper with a proposal for a study programme to Norway’s Ministry of Energy. The 103-page white paper is the first formal step towards establishing a NPP based on small modular reactors (SMRs) in Lund municipality.
Dalane Kärnkraft is owned by Dalane Energi, Norsk Kärnkraft and Lund Municipality. The study will be based on a location in Kjerrsdalen at Eikeland farm. Several locations in Lund will also be considered, and the final location will be decided after an impact assessment has been completed.
“Lund municipality has been very forward-looking and shows the way for other municipalities that want to combine climate goals, value creation and consideration for nature,” said Dalane Kärnkraft General Manager Steffen Oliver Sæle. “We will carry out a thorough, open and fact-based process in close dialogue with the local population. Nuclear power will not replace hydropower in Norway, but provide stable, emission-free electricity that complements the renewable energy mix.”
The white paper describes the topics to be further investigated, including environmental and natural diversity, safety, land use, waste and decommissioning management, and societal spin-offs. Once the assessment programme has been established by the Ministry of Energy, Dalane Kärnkraft will carry out the impact assessment in dialogue with the state authorities, regional agencies and the local population. If this shows that a NPP can be realised within an acceptable framework, a licence application will be prepared.
In another development, Norsk Kärnkraft has established Grenland Kärnkraft to study nuclear power in the Grenland region. The purpose is to develop planning initiatives and investigate the possibility of establishing SMRs in Grenland, Norway’s largest industrial cluster with a power demand that far exceeds what can be supplied. There is a growing power deficit in the region, which can threaten both existing jobs and new establishments.
Norsk Kärnkraft jointly with development company Futurum, has also established Narvik Kärnkraft AS to investigate, and possibly plan, build and operate NPPs based on SMRs in Narvik municipality
Deputy Mayor Rune Ernst Østergren noted: “We were one of the first municipalities to raise nuclear power as a possible energy solution, and now we want to be involved step by step in the process. We are therefore pointing out some temporary areas in order to be able to participate in a licensing process.”
Narvik Kärnkraft will now begin planning a formal assessment phase: preparing proposals for an assessment programme, including assessments of the environment, safety, land use, societal ripple effects, and potential workplace impulses. Once the assessment programme has been established by the relevant authorities, a thorough impact assessment will follow, in close dialogue with government agencies, local actors and citizens.
Although the region currently has sufficient electricity, future plans for industrial construction show that access to power will be a challenge for further sustainable industrial development in the future.
Norsk Kärnkraft has also established wholly-owned subsidiary Øygarden Kärnkraft for the construction and operation of SMRs in Øygarden municipality, just outside Bergen. The company will follow up Norsk Kärnkraft ‘s efforts in the area, including the impact assessment for the plot area owned by former mayor Rolv Svein Rougnø.
In August 2024, Norsk Kärnkraft proposed to the Ministry of Energy a study programme for an impact assessment of nuclear power in Øygarden. The white paper describes a planned establishment of a NPP consisting of up to five SMRs of 300 MWe each corresponding to annual electricity production of approximately 12.5 TWh, which accounts for almost 10% of currents Norwegian electricity consumption.
Once the authorities have processed and determined the study programme, Norsk Kärnkraft, through Øygarden Kärnkraft, will carry out a thorough investigation of the NPP site in Øygarden. The company will also invite industrial players in need of significant amounts of stable, low-emission power to join the industrial construction.
With Øygarden Kärnkraft, Norsk Kärnkraft’s ability to supply electricity to Western Norway’s industry, contribute to electrification offshore and strengthen national security of supply is strengthened. The company will ensure that all studies and processes comply with Norwegian legislation and the highest safety standards, with transparency and local democratic participation as key elements.
