McDermott and ULC Energy advance Dutch SMR integration

McDermott and ULC Energy have signed a cooperation agreement covering the development of Rolls Royce small modular reactor projects in the Netherlands.

The companies will combine ULC Energy’s nuclear project development work with McDermott’s engineering, procurement, construction, and industrial integration capability. Their work will examine applications in which small modular reactors supply electricity alongside process heat and hydrogen for energy intensive industrial operations.

ULC Energy selected Rolls Royce SMR as its preferred technology for Dutch deployment in 2022. The Amsterdam based developer is pursuing nuclear opportunities in the Netherlands and Belgium and has assembled partners covering energy equipment, civil construction, heavy lifting, certification, nuclear fuel, engineering surveys, and project delivery.

McDermott brings experience from large energy and industrial projects, including hydrogen, ammonia, sustainable aviation fuel, and carbon management infrastructure. Its role is expected to focus on integrating the reactor and supporting systems with the wider industrial installation rather than modifying the certified nuclear technology.

The Rolls Royce SMR design uses a 470MWe pressurised water reactor and a modular construction strategy intended to transfer more fabrication and assembly into controlled manufacturing environments. Standardised modules would be transported to site and assembled within a repeatable plant configuration.

McDermott and ULC Energy have already completed a study examining the integration of a small modular reactor with solid oxide electrolysis for hydrogen production. High temperature steam and electricity from the reactor can support electrolysis, while industrial users may also require direct heat, electrical power, or both.

Nuclear projects move towards industrial system design

European small modular reactor programmes are progressing from technology selection into location specific development. Rolls Royce SMR has also been selected for a proposed three unit development on Sweden’s west coast, adding to programmes in Britain and the Czech Republic.

The Dutch cooperation concentrates on the interfaces surrounding the reactor. Although the nuclear technology can be standardised, each host site still requires detailed work on cooling, electrical export, auxiliary supplies, heat transfer, water, emergency systems, physical security, grid connection, civil interfaces, and integration with existing industrial processes.

Electricity only operation presents one set of requirements, whereas combined production of electricity, heat, and hydrogen creates further dependencies. Steam quality, temperature, pressure, process continuity, load variation, storage, and the management of planned or unplanned reactor outages all become part of the energy system design.

An industrial site cannot assume that nuclear output will always match its own load. Production processes may change quickly, while a reactor is designed for stable and carefully controlled operation.

The surrounding electrical system therefore needs arrangements for grid import and export, reserve supplies, load management, protection coordination, and safe separation between nuclear and nonnuclear plant. Those arrangements must remain effective during maintenance, faults, and changes in industrial demand.

Hydrogen production can provide an adjustable load, absorbing electricity or heat when direct industrial demand falls. Its commercial value will depend on electrolyser utilisation, hydrogen storage, downstream customers, electricity market conditions, and the extent to which production can vary without disturbing the reactor’s preferred operating profile.

The regulatory scope extends beyond the nuclear licence. Planning, environmental permitting, pressure systems, hazardous area requirements, hydrogen rules, heat networks, grid codes, and process safety obligations all need to be coordinated, with clear responsibility across the nuclear island, conventional plant, and customer facilities.

Financing will shape progress as strongly as engineering. Small modular reactors are intended to reduce project risk through repeatability and factory production, but early deployments still carry licensing, supply chain qualification, factory investment, construction, and schedule exposure.

A sustained programme of several projects is normally required before standardisation can deliver its intended reductions in cost and construction time. Suppliers need sufficient order visibility to invest in manufacturing capacity, train workers, qualify components, and retain specialist capability.

The Netherlands has a concentrated industrial base and substantial electricity demand around ports, chemical production, refining, and manufacturing. Those locations can support a technical case for firm low carbon power, provided that cooling, land, grid capacity, population, environmental constraints, and security requirements can be satisfied.

ULC Energy’s partner network includes Siemens Energy, BAM, Mammoet, Bureau Veritas, Urenco, Orano, and Fugro. The breadth of that group reflects the number of disciplines involved before a proposed reactor becomes a buildable power station.

Nuclear grade equipment, conventional balance of plant, civil construction, heavy transport, inspection, fuel arrangements, grid connection, and long term operations must develop within one controlled programme. Integration with heat and hydrogen systems adds further interfaces that cannot be resolved by the reactor vendor alone.

The cooperation agreement does not constitute a construction commitment or identify a commissioning date. It establishes a framework through which Dutch Rolls Royce SMR opportunities can be assessed as complete industrial energy systems rather than standalone generating units.