“Although SMRs are hyped and there are 74 types in development, only fifteen far enough are advanced to be available in the Netherlands at the earliest in 2035 or 2040,” he explains. Only two of them are eligible for Opmeer: the SMRs of Last Energy and Westinghouse. Nevertheless, both candidates seem to have lost weight.
Last Energy, an American company, was considered a serious candidate for a long time, but announced last month that he was not interested in the Netherlands in the coming years. The priority of Last Energy is currently in its own country and the United Kingdom.
Westinghouse, also an American company, also dropped out, because their SMR turned out to be too expensive.
In the meantime, another candidate has reported to the municipality, says Pruimboom: the Dutch offshore company Allseas. “We are now in conversation with that, so we do not yet know if this is promising. In any case, their technology looks good.”
Plan B
Nevertheless, Plumboom does not completely exclude a small nuclear power plant in Opmeer. A plan B such as the placement of a larger SMR in the municipality or region, ranging from 77 to three hundred megawatts.
“We can collaborate with other municipalities in Noord-Holland,” emphasizes Pruimboom. At the moment, only Den Helder seems to actually work on this. Such a central interesting could also be for Agriport, where data centers from tech giants Microsoft and Google are located. If these possibilities also prove not to be feasible at the beginning of 2026, Opmeer will have to fall back on solar parks.
Enough space and connection to the power grid
What is certain is that there is sufficient land available in Opmeer where an SMR can be placed, Pruimboom emphasizes.
According to him, preferably on the grounds of the municipality. “This makes it easier to pursue policy and to supervise, so that supplying electricity to our own residents remains more manageable.”
The RES search areas, designated places where within the Regional Energy Strategy (RES) there is a look at possibilities for sustainable energy, are preferred.
Connection to Liander’s medium voltage network also seems to be no problem. “That is feasible before 2035,” says Pruimboom.