This week, Fermi Energia is presenting the options for the location of the planned nuclear power plant, the national special planning process and opportunities for participation at public meetings in the municipalities of Lüganuse and Viru-Nigula. The meetings will take place on Tuesday 24 September at 18.00 in the community centre of Lüganuse and on Wednesday 25 September at 18.00 in the Kunda town club.
In November, Fermi Energia plans to submit an application for a special national planning procedure to determine the location of two 300 MW small reactors, which will be decided by the Government of the Republic.
"We want to consult local authorities and communities before submitting an application, as they will be most directly affected by the plant. We have been presenting our plans in Viru County since 2020, and the discussions have become more and more practical," said Diana Revjako, Member of the Board and Environmental Director of Fermi Energia.
The first phase of the national specific plan will involve a thorough study of the possible locations of the plant, which is likely to last until 2028. "We have carried out extensive preliminary work and identified planning areas in both Lüganuse and Viru-Nigula municipalities, where we will start identifying suitable locations together with local people during the planning process. In addition, the state will be able to put forward candidate sites in the planning process. This will be followed by more site-specific detailed studies and the final approval of the site in the second stage of the specific planning." Revjako added.
Of the potential sites in Virumaa, the municipalities of Viru-Nigula and Lüganuse have stood out, with their councils agreeing to participate in the special planning scheme. "We will involve the municipalities and local residents at an early stage in order to present the possibilities of participating in the planning and to take into account the suggestions received when drafting the national special planning application," said Mr Revjako.
Fermi Energia plans to build a modern small nuclear power plant in Estonia, which could be completed by 2035 at the earliest, provided that all the preparatory work proceeds without any major obstacles and the reference reactor to be built at the Darlington nuclear power plant in Canada is completed on time and within budget. To find the best location for a small reactor plant, a special national planning exercise will be carried out to identify the best solutions in cooperation with government officials, the developer, local residents and municipalities.
More information on the planning process can be found here: https://fermi.ee/rep/