GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) said it has signed a new project development memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Finnish software and systems engineering firm Space Systems Finland Ltd. (SSF), which specializes in the validation and verification of safety critical software for various industrial sectors, including the aerospace and utility industries.

Under the agreement, the companies will explore potential opportunities to collaborate on future nuclear power plant projects globally as well as in Finland as the utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) is looking to build a fourth reactor at its Olkiluoto nuclear power station. TVO is evaluating several different reactor technologies for its Olkiluoto-4 project, including GEH's Generation III+ Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design.

As part of the new MOU, SSF will support GEH in making sure that the ESBWR's advanced digital instrumentation and controls (I&C) systems can be licensed in Finland. SSF will review the design, and identify and recommend any system architectural modifications necessary, if any, for the ESBWR design to comply with Finland's special regulatory requirements.

In November 2011, GEH also signed an MOU with Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) to jointly bid for the potential ESBWR project in Finland.

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