US-based Westinghouse Electric Company has signed an Early Works Agreement (EWA) with Finland-based Fortum Corporation for the possible deployment of a AP1000 reactor. The work will support Fortum in developing new nuclear as a long-term option to meet rising customer demand in the Nordic countries. Westinghouse has teamed with Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company (HDEC) for the EWA.
Fortum signed a similar EWA with EDF earlier in June for the possible deployment of an EPR reactor. The EWAs will cover early project planning, site evaluation and focused licensing and permitting activities, including continuation of pre-licensing dialogue and compliance assessments.
These agreements follow a two-year new nuclear feasibility study conducted by Fortum, which was launched in November 2022 and completed in March this year. This was a two-year programme to investigate the commercial, technological, social, political, legal, and regulatory conditions for possible deployment of both small modular reactors (SMRs) and conventional large reactors in Finland and Sweden. The study also investigated new partnerships and business models.
In 2023, Fortum and Westinghouse signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the possible development and deployment of new nuclear in Finland and Sweden. In addition to Westinghouse, Fortum has also signed cooperation agreements with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, UK-based Rolls-Royce SMR, France’s EDF, Sweden’s Kärnfull Next and Finland’s Outokumpu and Helen.
In March, after concluding its feasibility study, Fortum selected two large reactor vendors and one SMR vendor to continue discussions with These were EDF (EPR), Westinghouse-Hyundai (AP1000) and GE-Hitachi (BWRX-300).
Following the signing of the EWA, Elias Gedeon, Senior Vice President of Westinghouse Energy Systems said: “Not only will this AP1000 project provide clean, reliable baseload power to the Nordics, it will also deliver real economic benefits and high-quality jobs for years to come while delivering energy security.”
Young Choi, Executive Vice President of Hyundai E&C New Energy Division, noted: “As a top-tier global EPC company with 55 years of continuous nuclear construction experience working together with Westinghouse, we will build clean energy and sustainable value in Nordics.”
