NuScale Small Modular Reactor marks milestone
PORTLAND, Or. (KIFI/KIDK)-The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed the last and final phase of review of the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design certification.
NuScale Power says issuance of a final safety evaluation report represents completion of the technical review and approval of the NuScale SMR design. The company says that should allow customers to proceed with their plans to develop NuScale power plants, with the understanding that the NRC has approved the safety aspects of the NuScale design.
“This is a significant milestone not only for NuScale, but also for the entire U.S. nuclear sector and the other advanced nuclear technologies that will follow. This clearly establishes the leadership of NuScale and the U.S. in the race to bring SMRs to market,” said NuScale Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins.
“The approval of NuScale’s design is an incredible accomplishment,” said Hopkins. “Additionally, the cost-shared funding provided by Congress over the past several years has accelerated NuScale’s advancement through the NRC Design Certification process. This is what DOE’s SMR Program was created to do, and our success is credited to strong bipartisan support from Congress.”
According to NuScale, the review process demonstrates both the simplicity of the SMR design and the thoroughness of the company’s application, which was completed in December 2016.
With the backing of Fluor, NuScale spent over $500 million and 2 million labor-hours to complete the application and more than 2 million pages of support information.
NuScale has signed agreements with entities in the United States, including the city of Idaho Falls and other Utah utilities, Canada, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Jordan. Additional agreements are currently being negotiated.
