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    • Blykalla and ABB partner for electric SMR pilot installation in Sweden
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    Blykalla and ABB partner for electric SMR pilot installation in Sweden

    Umito Posted on

    Blykalla and ABB have signed a memorandum of understanding to support the development of SMR technology in Sweden. Credit: Blykalla.

    Swedish nuclear energy company Blykalla has teamed up with global engineering giant ABB to develop a small electric modular reactor (SMR) pilot plant in Oskarshamn, a town about 340 km south of Stockholm.

    The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of SMR technology to support Sweden clean energy and decarbonization targets.

    The partnership will initially focus on building a “first-of-its-kind” electrical test facility for Blykalla’s SMR SEALER-E prototype, a lead-cooled electric fast reactor (LFR), to demonstrate the viability of future SEALER LFR power plants. ABB will bring its expertise in automation, electrification and digitalization to support the project.

    “This is a non-nuclear electric reactor, which means we don’t split atoms. We simulate the temperatures in the core that you would get for nuclear fission using electricity,” explains Jacob Stedman, CEO of Blykalla. Power technology.

    “We don’t split atoms in this test facility because we want to test a number of things in the safety system, and it’s much cheaper and faster to test that in a non-nuclear facility. If there is indeed a nuclear fission process, obtaining permits takes much longer and the cost is much higher. »

    Stedman explains that during his long career in software, he came to believe in the “fail fast” methodology. “The quicker you discover a problem, the cheaper and quicker you can fix it… So I think it makes a lot of sense (for the nuclear industry),” he says, recommending that all suppliers try “some iterative testing in a non-automatic manner. nuclear environment”.

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    The test reactor will run at 100% power, using an electrical wire to pass a current through the liquid lead to heat the lead to the correct temperature. Although its diameter is not equivalent, it will have the same height as a future nuclear ship, “making it possible to simulate the future reactor on a large scale” without using uranium, describes the chief.

    As part of the MoU, the two companies will also explore solutions to support future SEALER factories, including cybersecurity measures.

    Due to their small size, SMRs can be deployed in remote areas, unsuitable for large-scale nuclear infrastructure. Chatham House Think Tank predicted that with increased deployment to more sites, SMRs will need to rely on IT systems to operate remotely instead of having staff at each site, increasing cybersecurity risks.

    Asked how the partnership will address this challenge, Stedman confirms that Blykalla plans to have staff on site at all of its sites to prevent such risks. “A completely remote system would be decades away,” he adds.

    Sweden is experiencing significant nuclear expansion, with a government roadmap aiming for up to 10 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear capacity by 2045, a target this partnership aims to help achieve. Nuclear power currently provides about 30% of the country’s electricity.

    “The energy transition is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time,” said Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB Energy Industries. “We are proud to partner with Blykalla and use our knowledge of automation and electrification to support the role of SMRs in clean electricity generation and decarbonization. »

    The partnership reflects a growing global interest in SMRs, which are considered a more flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional large-scale nuclear power plants.


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