Minister calls for pilot projects as Baltic country seeks to add nuclear to energy portfolio
Lithuania’s Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) and European nuclear energy company Newcleo have signed a memorandum of understanding to study the feasibility of deploying Newcleo’s advanced fast reactor technology in the Baltic nation.
INPP, the state enterprise which owns and operates Ignalina, said Newcleo’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology could be an important step towards the introduction of reliable and efficient energy solutions and the safe and sustainable management of spent nuclear fuel in Lithuania.
Newcleo’s lead-cooled LFR-AS-200 reactor technology is designed to operate with recycled nuclear fuel, offering the promise of greater sustainability and reduced waste in nuclear energy production.
Lithuania’s energy minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas, who took part in the signing of the MOU, said the agreement will encourage the implementation of new pilot projects related to nuclear energy in Lithuania.
He said the two-unit Ignalina nuclear power station, which has been permanently shut down and is being decommissioned, has been a pillar of Lithuania’s energy system for many years.
He said Lithuania wants to preserve expertise from Ignalina and use it for the development of advanced nuclear technologies.
“Although the implementation of such projects is not rapid, we should not miss the opportunity to assess the potential of such technologies to further reduce the volume of spent nuclear fuel in the future, and this agreement allows us to start assessing innovative solutions now,” Vaiciunas said.
According to Newcleo chief executive officer Stefano Buono, the company wants to apply its operating model to countries that have experience in nuclear operations or inherited spent fuel.
“This agreement will contribute to sustainable solutions for radioactive waste management and energy security in Europe,” Buono said.
Earlier this month the Lithuanian government approved energy ministry proposals to assess the potential for developing nuclear energy in the Baltic country with the focus on potential deployment of next-generation SMRs.
Ministry To Set Up Working Group
The ministry will set up a special working group to prepare options for the development of nuclear energy. Representatives of INPP will be involved in the discussions.
The ministry said that because of the challenges of climate change and energy security, nuclear reactors with a capacity of 1,500 GW could be built in Lithuania.
A national energy strategy approved last year notes that all possible solutions for electricity generation capacity must be considered.
It is estimated that by 2050, electricity demand in Lithuania could increase more than threefold, from 24 TWh in 2030 to 74 TWh in 2050.
The strategy says a decision on the construction of SMRs should be taken by 2028, with the first 500 MW nuclear facility capable of operating by 2038 and the remaining reactors by 2050.
The two units at the Ignalina nuclear power station were shut down in 2004 and 2009 due to safety concerns linked to its Soviet-era RBMK reactor design as part of Lithuania’s agreement to join the European Union.
Decommissioning efforts, sponsored by the European Union and other western donor countries, have begun at the facility with a completion target of the late 2030s.
Last year Lithuania and the US signed an agreement in Washington to cooperate in the development of the country’s nuclear power programme and a potential introduction of SMRs.
