US government officials and Polish officials, including Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Jacek Sasin, have announced that NuScale Power and Poland’s KGHM Polska Miedź SA (KGHM) have signed an agreement to initiate the deployment of NuScale’s innovative small modular reactor (SMR) technology. The definitive agreement between NuScale Power, whose SMR is the first and only small modular reactor to receive design approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and KGHM, a Poland-based leader in copper and silver production and large industrial energy user, will position KGHM as a clean energy implementation leader with the first deployment of SMRs in Poland, the companies said.

Under this agreement, NuScale will work with KGHM to support the deployment of SMR technology, and together, the organisations will take steps toward deploying a first NuScale VOYGR™ power plant in Poland as early as 2029, which would help Poland avoid up to 8 Mt of CO2 emissions per year. The deployment of the VOYGR plant by 2029 is directly tied to the climate policy of KGHM Polska Miedź and the company’s new strategic direction – energy.

The first task under the agreement will be to identify and assess potential project sites and develop project planning milestones and cost estimates. These activities support KGHM as it evaluates NuScale VOYGR plants as a coal repurposing solution for existing power plants, as well as opportunities to deploy VOYGR plants to provide safe, carbon-free, reliable energy for their operations and to support other Polish industrial energy users.

KGHM and NuScale first began their collaboration in September 2021, after the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate in the development, licensing and construction of a NuScale VOYGR plant in Poland. This new commercial agreement marks a significant milestone in NuScale’s progress towards commercialisation and advancing clean, reliable, and affordable energy in Poland, it said.

“In the global race to rapidly decrease emissions worldwide, NuScale’s technology presents the perfect solution to reach this goal while simultaneously bringing economic prosperity to host countries,” John Hopkins, NuScale Power President and Chief Executive Officer, said. “NuScale is proud to partner with KGHM, an experienced innovation leader, and we are excited to work together to bring forth the next era of advanced clean energy deployment and confront the climate crisis.”

Marcin Chludziński, President of the Management Board of KGHM Polska Miedź SA said: “KGHM is proud to lead the initiation of a 100% carbon-free energy project, delivering on its commitment to lead efforts to decarbonise. The SMR technology will increase the company’s cost efficiency and transform the Polish energy sector.”