Westinghouse Electric Company has signed an Early Works Agreement with Fortum Corporation (FORTUM.HE), a Nordic energy company, for the possible deployment of an advanced AP1000® reactor. The work will support Fortum in developing new nuclear as a long-term option to meet rising customer demand in the Nordics. Westinghouse has teamed with Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company (HDEC) for the EWA.
The agreement follows the selection of the grid-scale AP1000 technology based on a two-year new nuclear feasibility study conducted by Fortum. The EWA will cover early project planning, site evaluation and focused licensing and permitting activities, including continuation of pre-licensing dialogue and compliance assessments.
“With the AP1000 reactor, Fortum is advancing the world’s most proven Gen III+ technology that is setting operational and performance records around the globe,” said Elias Gedeon, Senior Vice President of Westinghouse Energy Systems. “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.”
“HDEC is deeply honored that the journey to bring the proven Gen III+ AP1000 reactor to Fortum is taking shape,” said Young Choi, Executive Vice President of Hyundai E&C New Energy Division. “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.”
The AP1000 reactor is the only operating advanced Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design and the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. There are six AP1000 reactors currently setting operational performance and availability records worldwide with twelve reactors under construction and six more under contract. There will be 18 units based on AP1000 technology in operation globally by the end of the decade. The AP1000 technology has also been selected for nuclear energy programs in Poland, Bulgaria and Ukraine and is also under consideration at multiple other sites in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America.
