NuScale Power submits small modular nuclear reactor design for review

• 7 years ago (2017-01-18)
• David Flin

North America 998 Nuclear 640

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NuScale Power, based in Oregon, USA, has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve the company’s small modular reactor commercial plant design. The NRC review is expected to take 40 months. NuScale Power said that this is the first design application of its kind submitted for NRC approval. The company has been developing the design over the last nine years.

Dr Jose Reyes, Chief Technology Officer for NuScale Power, said: “We really believe that this is a game changer for our nation. It’s a relatively simple concept: a reactor inside of a thermos bottle, underwater, underground.” He said that the first power plant based on this technology would be operating in Idaho, USA by 2026.

NuScale Power and the main investor, Fluor Corporation, have invested $500 million into the project, with the help of grants from the US Department of Energy to fund the research.