The Department of Energy has approved the safety analysis for its Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project at Idaho National Laboratory Wednesday.
“The MARVEL project, under the DOE Microreactor Program, aims to advance the integration and application of microreactors in various industries, providing a unique opportunity for companies to learn from, collaborate, test novel capabilities and enhance the technological maturity of microreactors,” DOE Idaho Operations Manager Robert Boston said in a LinkedIn post this week.
The approval of the preliminary documented safety analysis was separate from DOE’s reactor pilot program.
Deep Fission announced Feb.10 it has raised $80 million in new funding towards commercialization plans for underground small modular reactors (SMRs).
Along with the financing, the company has partnered with Blue Owl Capital’s Real Asset platform. Blue Owl Capital is an alternative asset management company based in New York.
Through the new partnership, the two companies will collaborate to deploy Deep Fission’s underground SMR projects for Blue Owl digital infrastructure portfolio. The partnership will focus on providing clean energy and power to artificial intelligence (AI)- data centers, Deep Fission said.
The Department of Energy’s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) is set to begin operations of its Molten Salt Thermophysical Examination Capability (MSTEC) in March, according to INL’s Thursday press release.
MSTEC, located at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), will house a facility capable of examining irradiated molten salts, supporting molten salt reactor research and other fuel cycle technologies, INL said.
“The establishment of MSTEC marks a major achievement in our quest to advance next-generation nuclear reactor technologies,” NRIC director Brad Tomer said. “By offering the essential experimental infrastructure and expertise to industry, MSTEC will be pivotal in addressing our national energy objectives and propelling the future of nuclear power.”
Longtime nuclear manager Jason Remer announced last week on LinkedIn he has been appointed as nuclear policy adviser for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Since 2008, Remer has worked in senior positions at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, the Nuclear Energy Institute and Parsons Corp., according to his LinkedIn profile.