This thread follows the story and progress of the domestic nuclear power startup Steady Energy towards commercial production and a possible stock market listing.
In 2020, VTT researchers began working on a simplified reactor designed specifically for low-temperature heat production. As the work progressed, it became clear that the targeted design concept of LDR-50 had enormous commercial and environmental potential.
By May 2023, supported by visionary investors, Steady Energy was launched. Founded by Tommi Nyman, Hannes Haapalahti, and Petteri Tenhunen, the company is now dedicated to transforming the potential of LDR-50 into real commercial success and environmental development.
The LDR reactor unit consists of two concentric pressure vessels. Water heats up as it passes through the reactor core and rises upwards due to buoyancy. In the upper part of the reactor vessel, the flow is directed to heat exchangers placed around the riser channel, through which heat is transferred to a separate intermediate circuit. The cooled water descends back to the bottom of the reactor vessel, from where the flow is directed back to the core.
The most important safety functions of nuclear reactors are related to fuel cooling, especially in situations where normal cooling circulation has been lost due to, for example, a pipe leak or a power supply disturbance. In traditional nuclear power plants, such situations are prepared for with multiply redundant active emergency cooling systems. A high level of safety requires strict fault tolerance criteria.
In many small reactors, similar safety functions rely on passive technology and natural water circulation. In LDR, too, cooling is based on passive systems. The reactor vessel is entirely enclosed within a larger containment vessel, and the reactor units are submerged in water pools that act as heat sinks. In the normal operating state of the reactor, heat is transferred from inside the reactor vessel through the heat exchangers to the intermediate circuit, so losses to the pool remain correspondingly small.
In a disturbance situation, the heat exchangers stop functioning, causing the temperature inside the reactor vessel to rise. The changed flow conditions initiate passive heat transfer through the space between the pressure vessels to the pool water. The system does not include any electrically operated pumps, valves, or other mechanical moving parts. The volume of water in the pool is sufficient to absorb heat for at least several weeks without the need for operating personnel to intervene.
https://www.ldr-reactor.fi/perinteista-teknologiaa-ja-innovatiivista-turvallisuussuunnittelua/
Steady Energy, a Finnish pioneer in small modular reactor (SMR) solutions, has secured €22 million in funding and will commence constructing a full-scale pilot plant in the second half of this year. The €22 million funding milestone brings the company very close to completing its B-round and solidifies its lead in the race for the world’s first commercial SMR in operation.
Forbes recognizes Steady Energy’s unique market position and early commercial success, noting that the company “is pioneering heat-only nuclear reactors, designed to replace fossil fuels used to generate heat in homes, for clean water supply by (i.e. desalination plants), and in industries." The article emphasizes the cost-effectiveness of the solution compared to alternatives.
The publication specifically highlights Steady Energy’s impressive commercial traction, mentioning that the company “has already secured its first two contracts and reportedly has a sales pipeline valued at $1.5 billion.” This recognition comes in the context of Forbes’ analysis of nuclear power’s resurgence as a clean energy solution, alongside a growing global commitment to triple nuclear capacity by 2050.