Westinghouse To Start Feasibility Study On New Reactors At Borssele

Westinghouse Electric Company (ENS Corporate Member) announced the signing of a contract with the Dutch government to conduct a Technical Feasibility Study (TFS) assessing the deployment of AP1000 reactors in support of their nuclear new-build strategy.

This comprehensive study will evaluate the deployment of two AP1000 nuclear reactors at the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the only operational unit in the country.

The TFS represents a significant step forward in the country’s ambitious strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, aligning with the European Union’s climate goals and the Dutch commitment to carbon-neutral electricity production by 2035,

Westinghouse said.

The AP1000 is a Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design, and a very small footprint per MWe. In the United States at the Vogtle site, two AP1000 units began producing power for the grid in the last two years.

Four AP1000 reactors are currently operating in China with eight additional reactors under construction. Poland selected the AP1000 reactor for its nuclear energy program; Ukraine has made firm commitments for nine AP1000 units, and Bulgaria selected the AP1000 technology for two units at the Kozloduy nuclear site. The technology is also under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, India and North America.

Read the full Westinghouse Press Release.

In 2022, the Dutch Government announced its commitment to build new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, and to extend the operating life of the existing plant in Borssele.

In December 2022, the government also confirmed the selection of the Borssele site as a preferred location for the proposed construction of two new nuclear power reactor units.

The government stated that Borssele has “sufficient space” for new build and houses existing infrastructure, including a radioactive waste repository run by COVRA.

According to the cabinet statement, the units should be deployed by 2035, have each a capacity between 1,000 MW and 1,650 MW, and use a Generation III+ reactor technology. Once operational, the new NPPs can supply 9-13% of the country’s total electricity.