smr

  • New Milestone Reached in NuScale’s Push to License Small Modular Reactor

    NuScale Power has completed its second submittal to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for pre-licensing Vendor Design Review (VDR) of its small modular reactor (SMR). A pre-licensing VDR is an optional service provided by the CNSC when requested by a supplier. It provides a mechanism that enables CNSC staff to provide feedback early in […]

  • OPG Becomes First Utility to Snag Ownership Stake in Nuclear Microreactor Project

    Marking the first time a utility has taken an ownership stake in a small modular reactor (SMR) project, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) formed a joint venture with Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) to build, own, and operate a proposed Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) demonstration at the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) site in Ontario, Canada.  […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): Capital Costs

    The Energy Information Administration (EIA) in February 2020 published capital costs and performance characteristic estimates for 25 new electric power generating technologies. These estimates come from global engineering and design firm Sargent & Lundy (S&L), which the EIA commissioned to help accurately reflect the changing cost of new power generation technologies for the Annual Energy […]

  • POWER Nuclear Notebook: Centrus Deal for Commercial HALEU Supply, Potential Advanced Reactor Demonstration in Ohio

    Several industry-led developments and a possible new advanced nuclear demonstration have been announced since the White House working group laid out a national strategy to revive the nuclear industry last week. Centrus Energy on April 28 signed a letter of intent with Advanced Reactor Concepts (ARC), developer of a 100-MWe sodium-cooled fast-reactor design, that potentially […]

  • Industry Seeks Clarity on White House Nuclear Strategy

    Propelled in part by the White House Nuclear Fuel Working Group’s (NFWG’s) recent roadmap to strengthen the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle, the nation’s nuclear industry this week blazed ahead on efforts to energize a U.S. commercial fuel supply that it says will be crucial for the widespread development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.  At […]

  • Canada SMR Initiative Adds New Brunswick Project

    Moltex Energy, a privately held nuclear power development company headquartered in the UK with an office in New Brunswick, Canada, has entered into a collaboration agreement with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) to support Moltex’s nuclear fuel development program for its Stable Salt Reactor (SSR), among the latest technology advancements for small modular reactors (SMRs). The […]

  • GEH Launches NRC Licensing Process for BWRX-300, an ESBWR-Derived SMR

    Marking another major milestone for U.S.-based small modular reactor (SMR) development, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) said it has formally begun the regulatory licensing process for its BWRX-300, a 300-MW boiling water reactor that it claims could be competitive with natural gas power. The company revealed on Jan. 30 that it submitted the first licensing […]

  • A Decade of Turmoil: How Nuclear and Coal Have Struggled to Survive

    The past 10 years have been filled with trials and tribulations for both the nuclear and coal power industries. From accidents to plant closures there has been little to cheer about. Still, nuclear and coal power continue to provide reliable baseload generation to billions of customers around the globe. Here’s a look back at the […]

  • Innovation Propels Nuclear Power on New Trajectory

    Innovation is ushering in a new age for nuclear power. As well as boosting plant economics, efficiency, and flexibility, advanced technologies could open up new markets to meet soaring demand for heat and

  • U.S. Company Has Deal with Jordan for Nuclear Technology

    There have long been grand plans for developing nuclear power in the Middle East. After Iran brought the Bushehr plant online in 2011, the country talked of building another dozen or so reactors. Saudi Arabia

  • Top 6 Nuclear Power Achievements of 2019

    The past year has been filled with firsts for the nuclear power industry. Three power plants sporting first-of-a-kind reactors entered commercial operation, while the first U.S. AP1000 nuclear project reached key milestones on its path to completion. Furthermore, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted the first early site permit for a utility to construct […]

  • NuScale’s SMR Design Clears Phase 4 of Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Review Process

    PORTLAND, Ore. (December 12, 2019) — NuScale Power today announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed the fourth phase of review of the design certification application (DCA) for the company’s revolutionary small modular reactor (SMR). NuScale reached this milestone on schedule, marking yet another significant achievement along its path to commercialization. The […]

  • Joint U.S-Canadian Advanced Nuclear Review May Focus on Terrestrial’s Molten Salt Reactor, NuScale SMR

    Terrestrial Energy’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR), a 195-MWe Generation IV nuclear technology, and NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR) may be the focus of the first joint technical review by U.S. and Canadian nuclear regulators in a bid to boost their regulatory effectiveness as more advanced reactors and SMRs trundle toward commercialization.  Rumina Velshi, president […]

  • GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Announces Small Modular Reactor Technology Collaboration in Poland

    WILMINGTON, North Carolina—October 21, 2019—GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Synthos SA have agreed to collaborate on potential deployment applications for GEH’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Poland. Synthos, a manufacturer of synthetic rubber and one of the biggest producers of chemical raw materials in Poland, is interested in obtaining affordable, on-demand, carbon-free electricity from […]

  • Small Modular Reactors Have High-Level Support

    U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry is headed to Brussels, Belgium, to promote small modular reactor (SMR) concepts to European Union (EU) prospects. Perry will be a featured speaker during the “1st U.S.-EU High-Level Industrial Forum on Small Modular Reactors,” which will be held Oct. 21. “The U.S. and the EU share a […]

  • Small Modular Reactors Gain Momentum in Europe

    GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and NuScale Power, two leading companies in the race to build small modular reactors (SMRs) for power generation, have recently announced deals that could result to new plants being constructed in Europe. Feasibility Studies in Estonia GEH on Oct. 3 said it had signed an agreement with Fermi Energia OÜ, […]

  • NuScale Partners with ČEZ to Explore SMR Deployment in the Czech Republic

    The companies will share technical expertise and explore potential of NuScale’s SMR as a long-term clean energy option for ČEZ PORTLAND, Ore. — Today, NuScale Power announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ČEZ Group, a leading Czech utility conglomerate, to explore applications for NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR) as a […]

  • Positive Developments for Small Modular Reactors

    NuScale Power, Rolls-Royce, and China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC)—three companies working on different small modular reactor (SMR) technology—recently announced positive developments for their respective designs. NRC Makes Progress on NuScale Design Review Portland, Oregon-based NuScale said on July 22 that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the second and third phases of its SMR […]

  • NuScale Power and Enfission Sign MOU to Explore Use of Next Generation Nuclear Fuel Technology

    Agreement could spur new improvements in core design, performance, and levelized electricity cost of NuScale’s small modular reactor PORTLAND, Ore.—Today, NuScale Power and Enfission, LLC, a joint venture of Lightbridge Corporation (NASDAQ: LTBR) and Framatome, announced a memorandum of understanding to explore the use of next generation nuclear fuel technology in NuScale’s small modular reactors. […]

  • The POWER Interview – Keeping Nuclear Power Viable

    Nuclear power in the U.S. and globally has battled headwinds in recent years, and not just from the growth of other power generation resources such as solar, wind, and natural gas. Problems in the U.S. nuclear sector, such as construction delays and cost overruns at the Vogtle site in Georgia, the cancellation of the V.C. […]

  • Bagging DOE Support, Westinghouse Eyes Demonstration for Nuclear Micro-reactor by 2022

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is funding a project that would prepare Westinghouse’s 25-MWe eVinci micro-reactor for nuclear demonstration readiness by 2022.  The agency on March 27 said it will provide $12.9 million of the estimated $28.6 million Westinghouse needs for a project to prepare the micro-reactor for a demonstration, including for design, analysis, licensing […]

  • NuScale and JAEC Agree to Explore SMR Deployment in Jordan

    PORTLAND, Ore. (Jan. 15, 2019) — NuScale Power announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), to evaluate NuScale’s small module reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant for use in Jordan. The agreement continues to showcase the immense international interest in NuScale’s innovative nuclear technology. JAEC is […]

  • Debate Continues: Can New Technology Save Nuclear Power?

    Nuclear power provides carbon-free electricity for a warming world. But is its use still practical, can it still be economic, is its promise still achievable, and is nuclear a key to combating climate change

  • DOE Office of Nuclear Energy Announces Agreement Supporting Power Generated from Small Modular Reactors

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DOE, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), and Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) to reflect the importance of resilient power generated from small modular reactors (SMRs). Specifically, this MOU highlights the Department’s intent to […]

  • Small Modular Reactors: ‘Sealing’ the Deal

    Small modular reactors (SMRs), defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a reactor less than 300 MW, are fast emerging as a promising option for nuclear energy. They offer flexible power

  • Small Modular Reactor Project Advances in Canada

    A Maryland-based company and its Canadian subsidiary have joined with a Canada utility in a project to develop, license, and build an advanced small modular reactor (SMR). Advanced Reactor Concepts of Chevy Chase, Maryland, along with ARC Nuclear Canada—operating collectively as ARC Nuclear (ARC)—and New Brunswick Power (NB Power) on July 9 said their SMR […]

  • NuScale Boosts SMR Capacity, Making it Cost Competitive with Other Technologies

    Optimization through advanced testing and modeling tools will increase NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) capacity by 20%, which could make it “even more competitive with other electricity generation sources,” the Portland, Oregon, company announced on June 6. The breakthrough would boost the power capacity of a 12-module SMR plant currently planned by Utah Associated Municipal […]

  • Dominion Invests in GE-Hitachi Nuclear Development of 300-MW SMR

    Dominion Energy will provide seed money to further work of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) BWRX-300, a 300-MWe small modular reactor design (SMR). Dominion has “no plan at this time to build one at any of its commercial nuclear stations,” but the funding could help bring the SMR design closer to commercialization, GEH said in […]

  • DOE Steps Up Investments into Electric Generation Technology Research

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over the past two weeks has made a string of funding announcements, including nearly a half-billion dollars of new investment in power-related initiatives. The funding backs advancements in cybersecurity, advanced nuclear, solar, bioenergy, fuel cells, geothermal, and energy storage. $25 Million for Cybersecurity.On April 16, the DOE’s Office of […]

  • Could Advanced Reactor Technology Save the Nuclear Industry?

    Constructing a new nuclear power plant is a massive undertaking. It involves years of planning and countless hurdles just to get the necessary regulatory approval to break ground. Once physical work begins