Studies could speed up permitting and construction schedules.
Companies from Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic have been awarded grants by the US-led Phoenix Project to finance feasibility studies for the conversion of coal-fired power plants to nuclear plants using small modular reactor (SMR) technologies.
US special climate envoy John Kerry made the announcement on the sidelines of a regular Three Seas initiative summit in Bucharest.
The companies are Slovak utility Slovenske Elektrarne, Poland’s SMR plant developer Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) and Czech mining company Sokolovska Uhelna and its partner SUAS Group.
In June, Slovenske Elektrarne signed an agreement with local industry players to apply for Phoenix Project financing as a first step in a project to explore the deployment of SMRs domestically.
Slovenske Elektrarne said the feasibility study will assess suitable types of SMR from the point of view of the needs of the Slovak power industry, the costs of building and operating such plants. The study will also help preparations for a permitting and construction schedule.
The studies will focus on five sites: the existing nuclear stations of Bohunice and Mochovce and the sites of three thermal power plants, Novaky, Vojany and US Steel Kosice.
Poland’s OSGE is working to deploy SMR plants at seven locations across Poland using GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 technology. The company said the grant will help speed up its projects.
In April, the US Exim Bank and the US International Development Finance Corporation signed a letter of interest to grant jointly up to $4bn (€3.72) to OSGE to support potential SMR deployment.
Czech media reported that according to Sokolovska Uhelna, SMR plants could be deployed at the Tisova and Vresova thermal power plants. The reports said the company is considering nuclear energy in its strategy to move away from coal-fired generation and coal processing.
Project Phoenix was announced by Kerry at last year’s Cop27 climate summit in Egypt.
The project will provide US support for coal-to-SMR feasibility studies and related activities in support of energy security goals for countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
According to Slovenske Elektrarne, the grant competition was open to 17 countries in from the region and the US government had earmarked a total of $8m to fund the grants.