Westinghouse teams up with Hyundai E&C for Dutch FEED studies

In August, EDF and Westinghouse were awarded contracts by the Nuclear Energy Organisation of the Netherlands (NEO NL) - the state-owned company established for the construction and operation of the two plants - to carry out design studies for the plants. The studies are expected to take 12-18 months.

The design study, the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED 1), will be carried out in two phases. The first phase (FEED 1a) is not dependent on the location of the nuclear power plants. This allows preparations to take place while the Dutch government continues the process of selecting a site. Once the Cabinet has taken a draft Preferred Site Decision, the second phase of the study (FEED 1b) will begin. This phase focuses specifically on the selected site.

Westinghouse has now signed a contract with Hyundai E&C to conduct part of these FEED 1 studies.

Hyundai E&C said it will conduct technical reviews of candidate sites, establish a master plan, and develop project execution strategies. "In collaboration with Westinghouse, the company plans to comprehensively review local laws, licensing requirements, technical standards, and project schedules," it said. "Furthermore, it intends to lay the foundation for project execution by establishing countermeasures for major risks and localisation strategies."

It added: "Hyundai E&C and Westinghouse have maintained a cooperative relationship across global nuclear power projects. During the execution of this FEED, the two companies plan to combine their respective technological capabilities and business expertise to support the successful implementation of the new nuclear power project in the Netherlands and further strengthen the foundation for cooperation to participate in subsequent phases."

"We expect that our participation in FEED 1 will contribute to the successful implementation of the new nuclear power plant project in the Netherlands and establish us as a competitive business partner in subsequent phases," a Hyundai E&C official said in a statement. "Based on the design and construction capabilities accumulated in the field of large-scale nuclear power plants, we will enhance project completeness and continue to expand new business opportunities within the European nuclear power market."

Earlier feasibility studies

The FEED 1 studies build on the feasibility studies previously carried out for the Dutch government.

EDF of France, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) of South Korea and Westinghouse of the USA were contracted by the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth to conduct feasibility studies into the construction of their respective reactors - the EPR, APR-1400 and AP1000 - in the Netherlands. The studies were to consider whether their designs complied with Dutch legislation and regulations, whether they can be fitted into the preferred location at Borssele, and to develop a more detailed estimate of the costs and time required to build the two new units. The possible impact on the environment was also highlighted in the studies. In November 2024, Amentum was selected to review and advise on the studies submitted by the three potential reactor vendors.

In March last year, the Dutch nuclear regulator - the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection - announced that a review of the feasibility studies submitted by the three vendors suggested that all three designs would meet necessary safety requirements, although KHNP withdrew from the process.

The new design studies represent the next step by assessing the designs in much greater detail against the full range of Dutch legislation and regulatory requirements.

The background

The Netherlands currently has one, relatively small, nuclear power reactor, at Borssele in the south west of the country. It is a 482 MWe pressurised water reactor which was connected to the grid in 1973 and generates about 3% of the country's electricity.

In December 2021, the Netherlands' then coalition government placed nuclear power at the heart of its climate and energy policy. In addition to keeping the Borssele plant in operation for longer, the government also called for the construction of new reactors. Based on preliminary plans, two new reactors will be completed around 2035 and each will have a capacity of 1000-1650 MWe. The two reactors would provide 9-13% of the country's electricity production in 2035.

The cabinet announced in December 2022 that it saw Borssele as the most suitable location for the construction of the new reactors. Three other locations are also being considered for the reactors: the Tweede Maasvlakte near Rotterdam, Terneuzen in Zeeland and Eemshaven in Groningen. A location selection is expected next month.

NEO NL was established in February this year with a central role in the preparation, construction, and operation of two new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands.