nuclear-news

Estonia narrows search for nuclear power plant location

WNN, 9 November 2026

The search for a site for Estonia’s first nuclear power plant will now focus on three locations, all in the municipality of Viru-Nigula, about 120 kilometres east of Tallin, after three locations in Lüganuse municipality were ruled out for security reasons.

The Estonian Government initiated the state spatial planning process for the nuclear power plant at the request of Fermi Energia in May 2025. The planning area included the rural municipalities of Viru-Nigula, Haljala, Rakvere and Vinni and the Rakvere city rural municipality in Lääne-Viru county; the Lüganuse and Toila rural municipalities and Kohtla-Järve city in Ida-Viru county; and the sea area from Kunda Bay to Narva Bay, covering some 1,285 square kilometres in total. This is significantly larger than the actual area where the nuclear power plant and the necessary facilities will be built, but ensures that the best location for the nuclear power plant can be thoroughly considered and assessed, the government said.

The first part of the phased planning process – site pre-selection – is taking place up to 2027,………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has now announced. “Accordingly, instead of the previous six locations, three possible sites in Viru-Nigula rural municipality will be considered in the future: Madala, Malla and Letipea.”…………………………………………………………

In February 2023, Fermi Energia selected GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 SMR for potential deployment by the early 2030s. The BWRX-300 design is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of the company’s ESBWR boiling water reactor. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/estonia-narrows-search-for-nuclear-power-plant-location

November 12, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors