Fluor-backed NuScale Power and the Department of Energy yesterday announced they have finalized an agreement to provide up to $217 million in DOE funding for design and licensing of a small, modular reactor design, and are looking to potentially site the first reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. DOE announced in December that it had selected NuScale in its second round of SMR funding under a five-year program, after earlier awarding a grant to competitor B&W. Since DOE announced the award in December, NuScale and the Department have worked to develop the details of the funding agreement. “We’re very pleased to have in addition to our partners in Fluor to have a partner in the Department of Energy to work with to continue to develop this important technology,” NuScale Chief Commercial Officer Mike McGough said in a call with reporters yesterday.
The company hopes to submit a design certification application in 2016 to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, receive certification in 2020 and deploy the reactor in 2023. “Our first project, the Western Initiative for Nuclear, which is led by the 45 utility consortium known as the Utah Associated Municipal Power Supply System in conjunction with Energy Northwest, will be developed for commercial operation by the end of 2023 at a location yet to be determined in Idaho likely to include the Idaho National Laboratory,” McGough said.
NuScale’s 45 megawatt reactor is designed with passive safety features that allow it to shut down automatically and self-cool without outside power. Notably, the company signed an agreement with the Savannah River Site in 2012 to explore siting a reactor there, but later shifted its focus to Idaho. However, the area remains a potential site for the company. “We have had some further discussions with our friends in South Carolina, not just regarding specifically the Savannah River Site, but also regarding the potential participation by [South Carolina utility] SCANA,” McGough said yesterday, adding later: “We do still consider the Savannah River Site as an excellent potential location for a project provided that there is suitable demand for the output and the potential for a power purchase agreement to accommodate the output of the plant.”
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