Could small nuclear be a big challenge to wind power in Europe's Arctic North?
ANALYSIS | As developer proposes SMR in remote region of Norway where Statkraft and others are already planning new onshore wind farms, Bernd Radowitz asks if there's room for both
Norsk Kjernekraft upped the ante over nuclear power in Norway when it lodged plans with the nation's energy ministry for a 600MW small modular reactor (SMR) near Vardø, a remote Arctic island outpost close to the Russian border facing the Barents Sea.
The proposal, together with shifting attitudes towards nuclear power in the Nordic nation that currently runs on 100% renewable electricity thanks mostly to hydropower and some wind, has the potential to challenge wind expansion plans in the same area that have already faced formidable hurdles in recent years.
It also reflects a global pattern of increasingly bold plans for SMRs, which the nuclear industry is counting on to give it fresh impetus and which, with their 300MW-600MW ratings, are setting out their stall as a low-carbon force to be reckoned with alongside onshore wind.