Fermi Energia to cooperate with Canadian firm

Wednesday, 13 April 2022

The agreement was signed in Ottawa on 12 April on the sidelines of the Canadian Nuclear Association's CNA2022 conference.

Laurentis was established in 2012, under the name Canadian Nuclear Partners, and was renamed Laurentis Energy Partners in January 2020. Based in Canada and with operations in Europe, Laurentis serves customers in energy markets and in health care around the world.

Laurentis is currently providing services to a number of SMR clients including Canadian nuclear utilities, Canadian non-nuclear utilities, European utilities, European non-nuclear utilities, and Canadian government departments.

"Based on our owner's engineering and nuclear experience, Laurentis is pleased to work with Fermi Energia to give Estonia the confidence to add small reactors to its energy portfolio," said Laurentis Vice President Jason Van Wart.

Fermi Energia was founded by Estonian energy and nuclear energy professionals to develop deployment of SMRs in Estonia. In July 2019, the company launched a feasibility study on the suitability of SMRs for Estonia's electricity supply and climate goals beyond 2030, following a financing round from investors and shareholders. It selected four SMR designs to be included in the feasibility study: Moltex Energy SSR-W300, Terrestrial Energy IMSR-400, GE Hitachi BWRX-300 and NuScale SMR.

"OPG's excellence as a nuclear energy utility and their selection of GE Hitachi's BWRX-300 to be deployed at Darlington is a world-leading SMR project," said Fermi Energia CEO Kalev Kallemets. "Through this agreement, Fermi Energia will cooperate closely with Laurentis Energy Partners to develop a construction programme that will form the basis for the successful licensing and financing of several small reactors in Estonia to ensure affordable energy independence and decarbonisation in Estonia and other Baltic countries."