Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and Elementl Power have partnered up to work on a data-driven siting approach for advanced nuclear projects.
Through its partnership, the Washington D.C. based nuclear company has leveraged the Oak Ride Siting Analysis for Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool to help the company evaluate potential sites for advanced nuclear and small modular reactors, according to the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear May 22 press release.
OR-SAGE employs a wide-array of data sources to identify candidate areas for SMR technology use, with particular sites such as retired coal plants also being evaluated.
The collaboration originated through a Department of Energy Gateway for Accelerated Innovation Nuclear (GAIN) voucher in 2022, said the Office of Nuclear.
The voucher contributed to Elementl’s recent agreement with Google to prepare three sites for advanced nuclear deployment, according to the press release.
Elementl has entered an agreement with Google to deploy 1,800 megawatts of electricity, 600 megawatt per site, to help power the tech company’s data centers.
The voucher also allowed for the Elementl to access Oak Ridge’s national laboratory complex and expertise to help overcome technological and commercialization challenges, the Office of Nuclear said.
“This voucher allowed us to accelerate critical pre-development work that would otherwise take years to replicate on our own,” said Elementl co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer David Faherty said in the press release.
Elementl will continue to evaluate its advanced nuclear project and prioritize sites for accelerated development, with an option for Google to take the commercial offtake at a later final investment decision, according to the press release.
