Steady Energy’s SMR received first preliminary regulator evaluation – concept can be developed to meet Finnish nuclear safety requirements
The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) has completed the preliminary assessment of Steady Energy's organisation and the LDR-50 design. The assessment is positive, and Steady Energy will continue its development work based on the regulator's feedback.
The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) has completed an assessment of the concept of the Finnish Steady Energy LDR-50 nuclear power plant. According to the estimate, the plant's key design solutions can be designed to meet Finnish nuclear safety requirements. The concept assessment is a procedure that has been proposed for the reformed Nuclear Energy Act. In it, the authority examines the prerequisites for designing and building a safe nuclear power facility. The process is not compulsory under the current law but at the request of Steady Energy, STUK launched an assessment at the end of last year that corresponds as much as possible to the practice in accordance with future regulations.
"We received invaluable information from the evaluation to support our work. In addition, the assessment reinforces our assessment that we are on the right track in terms of both technology and organizational development," says Juho Vierimaa, Head of Licensing and Quality
STUK assessed several technical and safety areas and arrangements, as well as Steady Energy Ltd. as a nuclear supplier. The assessment did not identify any factors that would prevent the LDR-50 plant from meeting Finnish nuclear safety requirements. This is also the case when evaluating Steady Energy Ltd. Despite Steady Energy's short history, it has credible plans for the development of its organization and quality systems.
"The result of the concept assessment supports our view of the development schedule of the LDR-50 nuclear power plant and confirms our previous view of the implementation schedule of the LDR-50 plants in Finland. We will continue to work closely with STUK," says Tommi Nyman, CEO of Steady Energy.
As a next step, Steady Energy will demonstrate the operation of key safety features in a full-size pilot plant to be built inside a former coal-fired power plant in Helsinki. The next step in the regulatory assessment is the international assessment of the facility, in which regulators from different countries work together and utilise the work already done by STUK.
Click here to access STUK's assessment (in Finnish).