Press release: Historic transfer of nuclear facility

Last Friday, the King in Council decided that the Halden reactor, also known as the Halden Boiling Water Reactor (BHWR), will be transferred from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) through a business transfer on April 1st, 2025. Along with the reactor, 125 IFE employees in Halden will be transferred to NND. The transfer of the Halden reactor marks a major milestone in the work on the safe handling and decommissioning following more than 70 years of nuclear research.

President of IFE, Nils Morten Huseby, says that this is an important day in the work to decommission the nuclear facilities. 

“The fact that NND is now taking over the Halden reactor is an important step for both IFE and NND. The Halden reactor has been pivotal in outstanding and important international research on nuclear safety for over 60 years, but now it is entering a new phase,” says Huseby.

IFE’s nuclear safety research continues after the Halden reactor is transferred to NND

The Halden reactor, the world’s first boiling heavy water reactor, was used for international nuclear safety research throughout its lifetime. It also laid the foundation for the Halden Project, established in 1958 as an international collaborative initiative under the auspices of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC, later OECD). Through the Halden Project, international scientists from around the world have conducted research on fuel and materials, as well as safe operations. The research at Halden has contributed to the safety of reactors worldwide.

Although the Halden reactor will now be decommissioned, the Halden Project continues with research on the interaction between humans, technology, and organizations. IFE has extensive research activities in nuclear power and safety across various industries, with 100 employees remaining in Halden after the reactor’s transfer to NND. Together with IFE’s energy research at Kjeller, this positions IFE strongly to contribute to national and international initiatives and solutions for energy security and a greener world.

“The Halden reactor and the Halden Project have been of great importance to nuclear safety worldwide. Although the Halden reactor is now being transferred to NND, IFE will continue to have extensive research activities in Halden, with 100 employees focused on nuclear power and safety,” says Huseby.

Creating value for the society

Research on nuclear energy has also been applicable in other areas and laid the foundation for IFE’s further research in energy. The Halden reactor played a key role in developing the Olga multiphase model, which has contributed billions in value creation on the Norwegian continental shelf. The reactor has also been crucial for IFE’s research and development of solutions in corrosion and tracer technology.

“The reactor has contributed to creating values worth hundreds of billions for the society, and is something we have all benefited from,” says Huseby.

A new chapter for the reactor

NND was established by the Norwegian government in 2018 to decommission the Norwegian nuclear facilities. The transfer of the reactor is a step towards achieving IFE and NND’s joint mission of “Safe handling and cleanup after more than 70 years of nuclear activities in Norway”. 

“This is an important step in achieving our joint mission. The Halden reactor has laid the foundation for brilliant research for over 60 years, but is now entering a new phase of decommissioning, which is also a demanding and important mission,” says Huseby. 

Huseby emphasizes that he has great faith in NND’s ability to manage its new nuclear facility in a good way. 

“NND has all the prerequisites to succeed with the task, and will also take over 125 highly competent employees from IFE along with the reactor. IFE and NND have cooperated closely since the agency was established, and we will continue to do so in the future,” Huseby concludes.