Energy department announces investments in advanced nuclear power reactors
Two companies have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to further develop advanced nuclear reactor designs. The awards include a multi-year cost share of up to $80 million for both companies.
The companies, X-energy and Southern Company will support work to address key technical challenges to the design, construction, and operation of next generation nuclear reactors. The project is in support of the Obama Administration’s goal of producing more carbon-free energy.
The projects announced Friday will allow industry led teams, which include participants from universities and national laboratories, to further nuclear energy technology, and will enable companies to further develop their advanced reactor designs with potential for demonstration in the 2035 timeframe. Initially, DOE’s investment will be $6 million for each project and both companies will provide cost-share.
The two advanced nuclear power projects receiving awards are:
• X-energy – partnering with BWX Technology, Oregon State University, Teledyne-Brown Engineering, SGL Group, Idaho National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to solve design and fuel development challenges of the Xe-100 Pebble Bed Advanced Reactor. This type of reactor has next generation design and the most advanced safety features and it is also smaller than traditional nuclear reactors. These factors would potentially enable such a reactor to serve a wider array of communities – particularly densely populated areas – while ensuring public safety.
• Southern Company Services – partnering with TerraPower, Electric Power Research Institute, Vanderbilt University, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to perform integrated effects tests and materials suitability studies to support development of the Molten Chloride Fast Reactor. The MFCR is also a next generation design with the most advanced safety features that enable its potential use across the country.
The awards are an example of the public-private partnerships under the Idaho National Laboratory led Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN). The program, announced last fall, is intended to help private industry move nuclear energy forward. Separate legislation, announced Thursday, would allow INL to serve as a sort of test facility for new technology.
