Lithuania will need five small nuclear reactors to have a reliable electricity supply, says the energy minister after signing an agreement with the United States on exchanging information about the developing technology.
“For the system to offer the best prices for our consumers, both businesses and households, we need 1.5 gigawatt small nuclear reactors by 2040. If we assume that the average reactor has a power of about 300 megawatts, we would need five,” acting Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys told LRT RADIO on Wednesday.
Kreivys and US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm signed an agreement in Washington to cooperate in implementing the civilian nuclear programme, the Ministry of Energy said on Wednesday morning.
According to the Ministry, the US will share with Lithuania its experience in the development of next-generation nuclear energy, as well as prepare a business model analysis and development feasibility assessment for the fourth generation of small nuclear reactors.
“Many directions. Concrete steps have already been foreseen, such as the creation of a joint working group. The American side will provide us with a fairly extensive report on how this energy sector is developing,” Kreivys said.
Small nuclear reactors will be flexible and able to produce varying amounts of electricity, he said, so they will boost production when wind and solar generation slows down, for example on windless or cloudy days.
“They are ideal for our system,” said Kreivys.
However, Lithuania does not want to be among the first countries to use this technology, he said.
“Because the first ones are the ones to make technological mistakes and problems. We would like to be in the second wave,” the minister said.
The updated National Energy Independence Strategy 2050, approved by the parliament at the end of June, foresees the possibility of developing low-power nuclear reactors in Lithuania after 2030.
These new-generation reactors have not yet been built anywhere in the world.
The Ministry of Energy is expected to prepare a final report on the feasibility of building small nuclear reactors in Lithuania in 2028.
According to Kreivis, Lithuania may need them in the future, as it plans for high electricity consumption and energy self-sufficiency.
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