In January this year, Fermi Energia submitted an application to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to initiate a national designated spatial plan for a nuclear power plant.
“The initiation of a designated national spatial plan does not mean that the construction of a nuclear power plant will start immediately. By drawing up this plan, we will first analyse under what conditions and exactly where it would possible to build a nuclear power plant in Estonia,” explained Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo. “With the creation of the national designated spatial plan, we are making the necessary preparations so that if an investor wishes to invest in the construction of a nuclear power plant and we decide to build it, the state already has a thoroughly considered and assessed plan in place,” Keldo explained.
“If the decision is taken to build a nuclear power plant, it will also create new high-wage jobs in the region, which, in turn, will support the consumption of local services and thus the development of the local economy,” Keldo added.
The planning area of the national designated special plan covers land in the Viru-Nigula, Haljala, Rakvere, and Vinni rural municipalities and Rakvere city in Lääne-Viru County and in Lüganuse rural municipality, Toila rural municipality, and Kohtla-Järve city in Ida-Viru county, as well as the sea area from Kunda Bay to Narva Bay. The size of the planning area is approximately 1,285 km².
The planning area has been defined as significantly larger than the actual area where the plant and its facilities would be built. A larger planning area will ensure that the best location for a nuclear power plant can be thoroughly considered and assessed. Connections to the existing electricity network also need to be planned.
“To this end, we will assess all relevant impacts: how the plant would affect the people in the planning area, their homes and living environment, and what the impacts of the plant on the natural environment and the economy would be,” Keldo added.
The planning process will involve the residents of the planning area, local governments, relevant authorities, and all other interested parties.
Several possible locations will be considered in the preliminary selection of the national designated spatial plan. The best location for the nuclear power plant and the infrastructure needed for its operation will be sought throughout the planning area. However, a national designated spatial plan is only established for the area where the nuclear power plant and its facilities are planned. Both Fermi Energia and the national nuclear energy working group have previously analysed the areas potentially suitable for a nuclear power plant.
The national designated spatial plan will provide a comprehensive and detailed spatial layout of the proposed nuclear power plant and its infrastructure in the best possible location, develop the necessary construction conditions, and resolve other issues related to the construction of a nuclear power plant. An overhead 330 kV power line, an extension of the existing 330 kV substation, and other electricity transmission facilities are expected to be planned alongside the nuclear power plant. The first reactor of the planned two at the nuclear power plant could, according to the application, start operating in 2035 at the earliest, assuming smooth processes.
The list of nuclear installations will be specified in the course of the development of the legal framework for nuclear safety, which will run in parallel with the preliminary selection phase of the national designated spatial plan, and will be a prerequisite for the decision on the preliminary selection of location of the national designated spatial plan.
More information on the selection of the planning area:
At the request of the spatial analysis sub-working group of the national nuclear energy working group, an analysis was carried out in 2022 and 2023 to determine whether there are potential areas on Estonian territory where a nuclear power plant and a radioactive waste disposal site could be built. The spatial analysis was based on IAEA guidelines, objective criteria, and available data. The methodology was based on 60 criteria divided into 11 domains: hydrography and bathymetry, demographics and settlements, anthropogenic hazards, geotechnics, geology, environmental hazards, heritage protection, environmental protection, infrastructure, land use, nuclear safety, and requirements for nuclear plant. There were both exclusion criteria and criteria for further consideration in all areas. As a result of the spatial analysis, 16 potential areas were identified within Estonia, one of which was decided to be excluded for national defence reasons. The socio-economic analysis carried out for the 15 regions found that the potential areas of Toila, Kunda, Loksa, and Varbla are likely to show the strongest regional positive impacts. In addition, Fermi Energia has analysed these potential areas in terms of project feasibility and cost-effectiveness, and, in turn, excluded some of them.
More information from the nuclear energy working group: Nuclear Energy Working Group | Ministry of Climate
