Estonia’s Minister of Climate Yoko Alender and NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV. Photo credit: Mattias Tammet, Ministry of Climate of Estonia.
NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV visited Estonia on 11-12 March 2025 to meet with government leaders and stakeholders working on implementing the nuclear energy programme in the country.
The two-day visit started with a meeting with Yoko Alender, Minister of Climate of Estonia, to discuss the plans for the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), the development of legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as Estonia’s energy strategy and environmental goals.
Together with the Minister, the Director-General toured the former Paldiski nuclear site, currently managed by the state-owned radioactive waste management company AS ALARA. The visit provided an opportunity to meet the company’s CEO, Ilmar Puskar, to discuss Estonia’s radioactive waste management policy, the history of the legacy site and future activities.
Visit to the former Paldiski nuclear site. Photo credit: Mattias Tammet, Ministry of Climate of Estonia.
As Estonia’s Parliament, the Riigikogu, adopted a resolution in June 2024 that supports the adoption of nuclear energy in the country, Director-General Magwood met with members of the Nuclear Energy Support Group, which developed recommendations for Parliament on the needed legal and regulatory frameworks. Led by the group Chair and Member of Parliament Mario Kadastik, the meeting focused on the legislative landscape for nuclear energy in Estonia, the latest policy developments and stakeholder engagement.
The mission to Estonia also included meetings at Fermi Energia, which was founded in 2019 to lead the deployment of SMRs in the country. During a meeting with CEO Kalev Kallemets and company representatives, the NEA Director-General discussed the progress made and preparations for SMR deployment, as well as potential areas for co-operation.
Meeting with Fermi Energia CEO Kalev Kallemets. Photo credit: Fermi Energia.
Director-General Magwood also visited the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics and its laboratories at Tallinn University of Technology. He delivered a lecture on the latest developments in the nuclear sector and took the opportunity to engage with the university students and staff.
