Nuclear energy from small modular reactors (SMRs) can become a viable option for replacing fossil fuels in heat production with the largest emissions reduction potential lying in countries where energy production still relies heavily on coal and natural gas, and district heating holds a large market share, a study by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland concluded.
Such countries include Estonia, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. This also applies to Denmark and certain areas of Germany, but because of the local political climate, it is not likely that nuclear reactors will be built in these countries within the foreseeable future, the study said.
The study evaluated the carbon footprint of heat produced using the LDR-50 SMR technology being developed by VTT spin-off company Steady Energy for district heat production and low-temperature industrial applications. It also examined other environmental impacts over the life cycle of production.
The study concluded that nuclear is much cleaner and has fewer environmental impacts over the life cycle of the production than other energy sources for the Finnish and European district heating markets.
In Europe, the homes of 60 million people are currently kept warm during winter by 3,500 local district heating networks, VTT said. Heating is also a major source of CO2 emissions, which is why the deep decarbonisation of the energy system requires a wide range of alternatives to fossil fuels.
District heating systems take energy released as heat from a range of energy sources – in this case a nuclear reactor – and connect it to energy consumers through a system of highly insulated pipes.
The first LDR-50 units are planned to be built in Finland, where the CO2 emissions from the heating sector are already declining as fossil-fired plants are switching to biofuels.
The study warned, however, that nuclear reactors are subject to complicated licensing procedures and require commitment to high safety standards and management of radioactive wastes. The initial investment costs for constructing the heating plant are high, even though the operation is relatively cheap. On the positive side, the security of supply for nuclear energy is high because fuel for several years of operation can be stored on site.
Steady Energy’s SMR unit, comparable in size to an upright shipping container, can be built entirely underground or on an existing industrial site. Courtesy Steady Energy.
