New Nuclear Reactor may come to the INL
Community leaders from around the area met Tuesday to hear about the future of the Idaho National Laboratory.
Gen. William Magwood pioneered the collaboration between laboratories and industry partners for creating new technology across the country, and he is currently the director-general of the Nuclear Energy Agency. Magwood is known for putting Idaho on the map as a big player in the nuclear energy industry. He has supported growing the nuclear mission at the INL for the past decade.
The INL is a place where engineers come from across the country to test new technology. Now, it may become the home of a new-generation nuclear reactor.
NuScale is an industry partner that will build the design for this reactor and get the design certified. While, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) will own the new-generation reactor’s facility and says the INL is a very attractive site.
The design document will go through a 40-month review process. The design is expected to be certified by 2020 with the reactor operational by 2024.
Those who attended Tuesday’s presentation say it gives the lab and the Gem State much pride in the nuclear energy industry. They say this new-generation reactor will provide commercial nuclear power, and it will feed into the power grid for the western part of the country.
