OSGE initiates working group within the European Industrial Alliance on SMR

Poland’s ORLEN Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) in cooperation with 17 companies from 10  EU member states and Norway have applied to establish a working group dedicated to the BWRX-300 technology deployment. The project working group will work within the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs, which was established by the EC in February this year.

The European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) aims to facilitate and accelerate the development, demonstration, and deployment of SMRs in Europe by the early 2030s.  It operates through specific working groups to improve enabling conditions for SMRs development, demonstration and deployment including the revitalization of the nuclear supply chain. Its activities aim to support specific SMR projects and accelerate their deployment on the European market.

OSGE prepared the application for a working group in partnership with GE Hitachi – the designer of the BWRX-300 SMR technology and 16 members of the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs representing 11 countries. All these partners are interested in developing or participating in the development process of the BWRX-300 on several levels in Europe. All have many years of experience in the energy market acting as developers, energy utilities, design and engineering companies with competencies to build a supply chain.

Partners which have confirmed participation in the BWRX-300 working group are:

“BWRX-300 not only has the potential to be the first SMR to be deployed in the EU, but it also brings opportunities to be built by European companies, using key components manufactured in Europe. A dedicated project working group gathering nearly 20 companies confirm the strong interest in the BWRX-300 technology from European players”, said Rafał Kasprów, CEO of OSGE. “I believe that among the members of the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs, which is still open for new members, there will be more entities interested in joining the group”, he added.

The working group aims to coordinate and accelerate efforts to build the BWRX-300 SMRs designed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC, by members of the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs in various EU member states. The specific objectives cover a broad spectrum of issues: standardization of the technology licensing process in the EU countries, maximizing the participation of EU-based suppliers in the supply chain (joint development of robust European supply chain) including preparation for nuclear production fuel, building relevant competencies, creating an adequate support system for this type of investment and others.

“International cooperation is key to the successful deployment of new nuclear,” said Sean Sexstone, Executive Vice President, Advanced Nuclear, GEH. “The members of this working group bring a range of experience and knowledge that will help advance the development of the BWRX-300 in the EU and globally”, he added.

The BWRX-300 is a cost-competitive solution designed by GE Hitachi, that can be deployed for electricity generation and industrial applications. Powered by proven and commercially available fuel, the BWRX-300 features an innovative and simplified configuration, resulting in less concrete and steel needed for construction. The BWRX-300 can be deployed for electricity generation and industrial applications, including hydrogen production, desalination, and district heating.

OSGE plans to build a fleet of the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 SMRs in Poland, with the first unit ready before the end of the decade. In May 2023, the company received a positive general opinion – a non-mandatory prelicensing instrument – from the President of the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) on technical aspects of the BWRX-300 technology. In December 2023, Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment issued decisions-in-principle for the construction of power plants based on GE-Hitachi  BWRX-300 at six locations. A total of 24 BWRX-300 reactors are planned at the sites. It is the first decision in the process of administrative permits for investments in nuclear power facilities in Poland that an investor may apply for.

Statements of project working group members:

Lukasz Gola, Head of Business Development, Hitachi Europe: “In Poland alone, our Group employs over 6,000 people in our state-of-art factories and technology centers. We are very keen to contribute to the success of this Working Group by putting to work our IT & OT technologies developed in Poland and wider in the EU.

Dagmara Peret, GEH Poland Country Leader: “Being a member of the EU Nuclear Alliance supports our efforts to build relationships with domestic suppliers as we develop a standardized framework for cooperation between equipment and services suppliers”.

Tomasz Siemieńczuk, CEO, AIC S.A.: Thanks to the current initiative of OSGE and GE-H dedicated to advanced technological energy systems and the project integration of required expertise, we can simultaneously develop a partnership collaboration along with the developmental change in the competencies of our teams.

Kalev Kallemets, CEO, Fermi Energia: “Fermi Energia is committed to GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 SMR design since early 2023 and EU SMR Industry Alliance can meaningfully support scaling of the SMR deployment derisking, supply chain scaling and overall cost reduction, thereby enabling real achievement of highly ambitious EU 2050 carbon neutral goals with stronger industry for Europe.”