
Swedish nuclear energy company Blykalla and Hörby municipality have signed a letter of intent to jointly investigate the possibility of establishing Blykalla’s SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) in Hörby. The area to be investigated is located in Stavröd, Skåne County, where component manufacturing linked to the technology may also be relevant.
The feasibility study is planned to last for 18 months and includes a broad investigation of the conditions for establishing both energy production and component manufacturing at the site. Blykalla will carry out soil analyses, including field studies and drilling, assess infrastructure needs, and map potential recipients of electricity and heat from the facility. The study also includes a business and technical assessment of the suitability of the site. Hörby municipality contributes within the framework of its powers, including through planning support, coordination and access to key contacts.
According to Hörby’s energy plan for 2024–2028, increased local energy production is required to strengthen the robustness of the electricity system and enable both industrial growth and new housing development. The project supports several of the municipality’s ley goals including:
- increasing access to fossil-free electricity within the municipality’s geographical area;
- contributing to safe and efficient energy distribution; and
- promoting technological development and circular solutions for the future energy system.
“Southern Sweden is facing an enormous electricity demand, and Hörby is becoming a pioneering municipality that dares to take the lead in the energy transition with a project that puts them on the map internationally,” said Blykalla CEO Jacob Stedman. “With our technology, we can offer stable fossil-free electricity production where there are otherwise few alternatives.”
Anders Hansson, Chairman of the Municipal Board in Hörby, noted: “By collaborating with Blykalla, we are faced with a unique opportunity to become the hub in the development of a new future technology, an engine for the future energy supply in Skåne. Hörby will become a place where innovation, stability and growth go hand in hand. We create new jobs, strengthen our business sector and make Hörby a more attractive municipality in which to live and work.”
Blykalla (formerly LeadCold) founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, says its Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor (SEALER) technology is especially suited for regions and applications where traditional grid infrastructure falls short. The SEALER design is a fast compact reactor with passive safety. Each reactor will have a 55 MWe capacity, which can be increased by installing multiple units at the same location. The reactor is designed with the smallest possible core that can achieve criticality in a fast spectrum using 19.9% enriched nitride fuel.
Backed by partners including Uniper, ABB, OKG, and the Royal Institute of Technology, Blykalla has secured a SEK9m ($844,000) grant from the Swedish Energy Agency and a €17m ($17.77m) investment from the EU. The company plans to achieve criticality for its first SEALER reactor by 2030 and begin serial production in the 2030s.
While the company website has details of the overall design, fuel and the safety features of the reactor, it says nothing about the fast reactor technology, which is currently only operational in Russia, where the world’s first ever lead-cooled fast reactor is nearing completion. Hitherto only sodium has been used as the liquid metal coolant in fast reactors.