Kärnfull Next today announces a new candidate site for small modular reactors (SMR) in Valdemarsvik Municipality. The large coastal site in Östergötland is part of the company's Re:Firm South SMR program, aiming to expand carbon-free and dispatchable energy production across southern Sweden.

“We are very enthusiastic about the indications from our preliminary study in Valdemarsvik. This site has potential to become a key component in our program to supply large amounts of stable and sustainable energy to regions with significant capacity needs, and create substantial economic and social benefits for the local communities”, says Christian Sjölander, CEO of Kärnfull Next.

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Kärnfull Next has entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with landowner Latona Group for the exploration rights for nuclear power on the Valdemarsvik Målma 4:9 (2) property. The ongoing study, expected to be finalized after the summer, has shown promising preliminary results leading the companies to jointly inform the municipality, site neighbours and now the general public about the plans for an SMR Campus.

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The property includes areas identified as suitable for nuclear power as far back as in the 1970s, including in Centrala Driftledningen’s report "Location of Large Coastal Power Plants" from 1972. With over 1300 hectares in total, the site is appealing for co-location with 2030s energy-intensive industries, such as AI data centers.

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“We are very pleased to collaborate with Kärnfull Next on this exciting project. The property is likely to offer uniquely favorable conditions for nuclear power, and we look forward to being part of the development of fossil-free energy production in the region. This initiative can create significant value for Valdemarsvik and its residents”, said Gustav Carp, owner of Latona Group.

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Location, topography and cooling conditions in a forward-looking municipality with extensive rural areas are examples of early indications of a positive outcome from the current stage. The project in Valdemarsvik offers significant opportunities for local job creation – a single SMR is estimated to create around five hundred direct and indirect jobs per year for seventy years.

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The SMR park in Valdemarsvik is initially planned to host between four and six small light water reactors, adding between 10-15 terawatt-hours (TWh) of clean firm electricity production per year. As a reference, Sweden’s existing nuclear fleet produced 47 TWh of electricity last year.

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Kärnfull Next has been conducting site selection and feasibility studies in several municipalities in Sweden since 2022. By establishing multiple SMR parks as part of the same program, the company expects to achieve economies of scale in terms of technology selection, construction partners, power purchase agreements (PPAs) and financing partners. 

In August 2023, Nyköping was announced as another candidate site within the program, and further feasibility studies are expected to reach sufficient maturity levels to be announced later this year.

If Valdemarsvik is selected as the first municipality for Re:Firm South, the plan is for the first kilowatt-hours of clean and reliable electricity from the SMR park to be delivered in the first half of the 2030s.

Christian Sjölander
CEO & Founder, KNXT

Gustav Carp
Owner
Latona Group