The USA and Estonia have agreed to cooperate under the US Department of State's Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology capacity-building programme.

Swedish state-owned energy company Vattenfall has signed an agreement with the Estonian nuclear energy start-up company Fermi Energia in order to become a minority shareholder of the company with a seed investment of EUR1 million (USD1.2 million). Fermi Energia is studying the deployment of small modular reactors in Estonia.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has entered into a teaming agreement with Fermi Energia to support the potential deployment of its BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Estonia. This follows their signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in late 2019.

The UK's Rolls-Royce and Estonia's Fermi Energia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to study the potential for the deployment of small modular reactors in the Baltic country. The study will cover all aspects of deployment, including grid suitability, cooling, emergency planning, human resources, licensing feasibility, economics and the supply chain.

Estonia needs to put in place the necessary legislation and competencies if a small modular reactor is to be in operation by 2035, speakers at a conference organised by Fermi Energia agreed yesterday. The Baltic country aims to stop generating electricity from oil shale by 2035, but has yet to officially launch a nuclear programme.

There are no fundamental geologic limitations to disposing of radioactive waste in deep horizontal boreholes in Estonia, a study conducted by US nuclear waste disposal company Deep Isolation on behalf of Fermi Energia has concluded. Such a repository could be used for the disposal of used fuel from small modular reactors proposed for deployment by the Estonian company. Fermi Energia is the first European company to contract with Deep Isolation on a preliminary geologic study to manage advanced reactor waste.

Swedish utility Vattenfall and Estonia's Fermi Energia have signed a Letter-of-Intent to further expand their cooperation on small modular reactors (SMRs). For the past year Vattenfall has participated in a feasibility study by Fermi Energia to explore the possibilities for the deployment of such reactors in Estonia.

Nuclear waste disposal company Deep Isolation's raising of USD20 million in funding shows that "socially responsible investors" are willing to support the company's mission to become an integral part of a low-carbon future, the company's CEO has said. Separately, Deep Isolation EMEA has announced it is collaborating with Fermi Energia on a preliminary study into using Deep Isolation's horizontal deep borehole solution in Estonia.

The ministries responsible for the energy sector in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have reached an agreement to cease electricity trading with Belarus when it commissions its nuclear power plant and to introduce a system of certificates stating the origin of electricity.

Swedish utility Vattenfall is participating in a study on the deployment of small modular reactors in Estonia. In January, Estonia's Fermi Energia signed Memoranda of Understanding with Finnish power company Fortum and Belgian engineering firm Tractebel to cooperate on the study.

Estonia's Fermi Energia has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Finnish power company Fortum and Belgian engineering firm Tractebel to cooperate on studying the deployment of small modular reactors in the Baltic country.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Fermi Energia have agreed to collaborate on potential deployment applications for GEH's BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Estonia. In a Memorandum of Understanding they have agreed to examine the economic feasibility of constructing a BWRX-300 in Estonia, to review siting requirements and to assess nuclear regulatory requirements.