Sargent & Lundy, an industry-leading engineering design firm, joined U.S and Ukrainian government officials as they announced a partnership to pursue the use of next generation nuclear technology to help meet Ukraine’s future energy needs, including the conversion of coal-fired power plants to safe, reliable, and carbon-free small modular reactors. This effort supports the U.S. Department of State’s Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology program. The FIRST line-of-effort that specifically supports coal-to-SMR conversions is known as Project Phoenix.
Launched in 2019, FIRST is a multiagency U.S. government initiative that provides capacity building support to partner countries exploring the potential for small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear reactor technologies. FIRST helps countries meet their clean energy needs consistent with the highest nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation standards, in addition to helping partner countries safely and responsibly build a small modular reactor or other advanced reactor program. Ukraine partnered with FIRST in 2021.
The announcement by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins and Ukraine Minister of Energy German Galushchenko came as the first week of the ongoing U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP 29, in Baku, Azerbaijan comes to a close. They were joined by U.S. Department of Energy Acting Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Dr. Michael Goff, H.E. Yuriy Husyef, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Director of Argonne National Laboratory Dr. Paul Kearns, and Neil Wilmshurst, Chief Nuclear Strategy Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute.
This follows a separate announcement that Sargent & Lundy will be working as part of a multinational group to support the expansion of a nuclear power plant in Romania.
In Ukraine, Sargent & Lundy, working as part of a consortium of U.S.-based firms, will provide technical and engineering expertise to determine potential sites and conduct feasibility studies for a coal-to-SMR conversion based on suitability and future energy needs. Working as part of the State Department’s Project Phoenix, the firm is performing similar work in the Slovak Republic and Republic of Slovenia.
“We’re pleased to apply our vast experience in evaluating existing conditions and assessing future capacity to advance the U.S. State Department’s mission and benefit the people of Ukraine,” said Sargent & Lundy Chairman, President and CEO Victor Suchodolski.
As of 2022, Ukraine produced 55% of its electricity through nuclear energy. That was followed by coal, which made up 21% of the production and resulted in its largest source – 42.5% – of its CO2 emissions.