- NRC Accepts NuScale Uprated 77 MWe SMR Design Application
- NuScale’s 1st Customer Asks NRC for OK to Start Early Construction at Idaho Site
- USNC Boosts MMR Power, Flexibility, and Value
- Westinghouse Awarded Trio of Grants from UK Nuclear Fuel Fund
- Terrestrial Energy and Westinghouse Sign Contract for IMSR Fuel Plant at UK Springfields Plant
NRC Accepts NuScale Uprated 77 MWe SMR Design Application
- Updated design will support a wider range of customers seeking clean energy through small modular nuclear reactors
NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) announced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted its Standard Design Approval (SDA) Application for formal review. After beginning the technical review of NuScale’s application in March 2023, the NRC has docketed the application for NuScale’s VOYGR-6 plant design. It features an uprated power rating of 77 MWe which means a six pack, one of the “packages” the firm will offer customers, will come in at 462 MW.
Image – NuScale Fact Sheet – PDF file
NuScale said in a press statement that the decision is increase the power rating is intended “”to support capacity requirements for a broader range of customers.”
NuScale received NRC approval for its 50 MWe design in 2020 and design certification in 2023, making it the first and only SMR to achieve either milestone. The uprated design currently under review includes the same fundamental safety case the NRC approved in 2020. NuScale added that the NRC provided a 24-month review schedule for approval, which will align with the timing needs of NuScale’s U.S. customers.
SMRs Converge on 300 MW as a Power Rating
The industry trend power ratings for small modular reactors have been sliding north towards the IAEA design threshold of 300 MWe. Economies of scale in sourcing components, manufacturing, and operational efficiencies for customers seem to converge on this level of electrical power generation.
For instance the rollout of the BWRX-300, which is a BWR, with significant commitments from Ontario Power Generation and the Tennessee Valley Authority, has been followed by the AP300 MW SMR design from Westinghouse.
Interestingly, the combined NuScale ‘six-pack’ power package is closely comparable to the Rolls-Royce 470 MWe mid-range PWR which is now being reviewed by the UK Office of Nuclear Regulation as part of the agency’s generic design assessment. In the UK Rolls-Royce is stating in press releases that its mid-range 470 MW PWR is an SMR, but it significantly exceeds the IAEA standard for this type of reactor.
Separately, in the advanced reactor category X-Energy in its agreement to build four 80 MW HTGRs for Dow to provide process heat at a Texas chemical plant will hit 320 MW. TerraPower’s Natrium sodium cooled design intended to replace coal-fired power plants for electricity generation, comes in at 345 MW.
In Canada and the UK Moltex is developing a 300 MW molten salt reactor for power generation and process heat applications. Also, in Canada, Terrestrial Energy plans to offer customer its 195 MW molten salt reactor n pairs for a total of 390 MW.
Transportation Logistics
All of these reactor developers promote the concept that their designs are “modular” and “transportable.” However, as a practical matter, the reality is the “modules,” as fabricated by the vendor or its suppliers, will be transported by truck, rail, or barge to the reactor site where all the components will be assembled into a finished nuclear power plant. For SMRs, and especially for micro reactors with power ratings of less than 25 MWe, many of the power generation components are either built in to the reactor or are small enough to be shipped by rail or truck to the customer site.
Note that large 1000 MW reactors are usually located on navigable rivers or at coastal sites to facilitate delivery by barge of very large components like the reactor pressure vessel, steam generator, and turbines as well as switch gear like transformers. For instance, many of China’s fleet of nuclear reactors have been built at coastal sites.
In NuScale’s case, for its first customer UAMPS, the site is on the Arco Desert inside rthe boundary of the Idaho National Laboratory, located about 50 miles due west of Idaho Falls, ID. There is a rail connection via the Union Pacific spur, the so-called “Scoville” branch line, that runs north from the UP mainline in Blackfoot, ID. However, it doesn’t terminate near the UAMPS site. Either additional trackage would be needed or delivery will components of the reactor for assembly on site will be by truck.
All of the 300 MW range SMRs will face similar challenges in getting their components delivered to customer sites. For truck travel, the oversize loads will need to be able to fit beneath the clearances of both major highway and rural road overpasses. Another factor is bridge load ratings for the combined weight of the truck, trailer, and its load.
Undoubtedly, all of the SMR vendors are working with the issue of transportation logistics in anticipation of making decisions on how many pieces of the reactor need to be shipped in separate loads.
Does this make them modular? After a fashion for marketing purposes that’s probably not a stretch, but construction of SMRs isn’t going to be, metaphorically speaking, like fitting together a set of Legos.
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NuScale’s 1st Customer Asks NRC for OK to Start Early Construction at Idaho Site
CFPP LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), has submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a Limited Work Authorization (LWA), seeking approval to commence early construction activities for the CFPP prior to issuance of the Combined License (COL). When approved, the LWA will pave the way for the initiation of early-scope construction which is expected to start mid-2025.CFPP LLC submitted the LWA application as the first part of the CFPP Combined License application (COLA). The press statement said this is the first instance under the current LWA regulations where a standalone LWA application was submitted in advance of the remainder of the COLA. The second part of the CFPP COLA remains on schedule to be submitted to the NRC in January 2024.
In a Part 50 license application for an LWA what’s being requested is permission to “the drive piles, subsurface preparation, placement of backfill, concrete, or permanent retaining walls within an excavation, installation of the foundation, including placement of concrete, any of which are for an SSC [safety-related structures, systems, or components] of the facility for which either a construction permit or combined license is otherwise required.”
CFPP COLA work began in August 2021, when CFPP LLC enlisted the expertise of Fluor Corporation and a team from NuScale to prepare a COLA for submission to the NRC. The COLA will seek a license to construct and operate a nuclear power plant comprising six 77 MWe small modular reactors (SMRs) and associated common facilities, collectively known as the Carbon Free Power Project.
In addition to seeking NRC authorization for the CFPP, CFPP LLC is also coordinating with the DOE for the needed approvals as part of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which will be completed prior to commencement of these early construction activities.
Mason Baker, CFPP LLC President, said in the press statement that the project is on schedule for commercial operation by then end of 2029.
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USNC Boosts MMR Power, Flexibility, and Value
As a result of making changes in its patented FCM fuel geometry, USNC said in a press statement that it has boosted the advanced gas cooled MMR [tm] micro-reactor’s power from 3.3 MWe to 15 MWe and from 10 MWt to 45 MWt.
The firm also announced that its reactor will be able to use low enriched uranium fuel (LEU) at 9.9% U235 or HALEU at 19.75% U235. The firm said that in terms of serving customers, the revised design of the MMR fuel will open new markets and across a range of industrial heat, micro- and off-grid power, and zero-carbon hydrogen applications.
MMR Fuel Assemblies: Image: Ultra Safe file
From a technical perspective, the firm said it achieve the new results in fuel fabrication by application of technologies in 3-D printing and advanced manufacturing of its patented Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel. These technologies allow the flexibility to produce unique geometry FCM fuel pellets. FCM further encases TRISO particles in silicon carbide, ensuring that the helium coolant remains free from contamination. This advancement reduces thermal stresses on the fuel and enables increases in the output temperature and power of the MMR.
“Making these important changes now brings focus to USNC resources and ensures our demonstrations will be the same design as our commercial deployments, increasing their relevance,” said Dan Stout, CNO of USNC. “It is worth some near-term schedule impact for the flexibility and a 300% power uprate.”
USNC is in pre-licensing engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the U.S. and with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in Canada through the Global First Power (GFP) joint venture with Ontario Power Generation.
The news follows recent announcements including selecting a site for their MMR Assembly Plant in Alabama and successful delivery of TRISO fuel for NASA produced at USNC’s Pilot Fuel Manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
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Westinghouse Awarded Trio of Grants from UK Nuclear Fuel Fund
Westinghouse Electric Company announced today that the U.K. Government’s Nuclear Fuel Fund has awarded three grants to upgrade and expand the Springfields Fuel Fabrication Facility to support the United Kingdom’s next-generation nuclear reactors.The three awards totaling £10.5 million will future-proof the U.K. nuclear fuel industry by developing more variants of light water reactor fuels, including for the AP1000 reactor and the AP300 small modular reactor.
The funding also supports potential production of High Enriched Low Assay Uranium-based (HALEU) Advanced Nuclear Fuels for the U.K.’s new Generation III and IV fission reactors. Additionally, Westinghouse will partner with Terrestrial Energy and the National Nuclear Laboratory to pilot supply of enriched Uranium Tetrafluoride (UF4) and molten salt fuel for use in Terrestrial’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor.
Significance to UK of the Westinghouse Springfields Nuclear Fuel Plant
The UK Springfields plant is the only nuclear fuel facility with a ley strategic mix of capabilities in the UK. It produces fuel for light water reactors as well as uranium hexafluoride (UF6). The UF6 is transported to enrichment organizations throughout the world. The enriched UF6 can then be converted into oxide fuels for several types of nuclear fuel applications including uses in commercial nuclear reactors and for powering the UK nuclear navy fleet.
In January 2023 the UK government announced new plans to encourage investment in new and robust fuel production capabilities in the UK and to reduce reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia. Energy and Climate Minister Graham Stuart has announced Nuclear fuel production in the UK will be bolstered by up to £75 million in UK government funding in a bid to strengthen UK energy security.
About two-thirds of the funding will support projects establishing new domestic fuel capabilities, which could include fuel supply options for Light Water Reactors, including future small modular reactors. It will also support projects producing new fuel types such as high assay low enriched Uranium (HALEU).
Nuclear Fuel Competition Study
All this leads into an interesting announcement by another arm of the UK government last week. According to a several reports including Reuters and World Nuclear News, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has invited industry and public comments on the proposed Cameco and Brookfield Renewable Partners acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Company as it considers whether the deal “may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition” in the UK.
The proposed deal, announced in October 2022, is for a strategic partnership of Cameco and Brookfield Renewable Partners to acquire Westinghouse for a total enterprise value of approximately $8 billion. Brookfield Renewable, together with its institutional partners, to own a 51% interest in Westinghouse and Cameco own 49%.
Given that the Springfields plant is the primary nuclear fuel production facility in the UK, the government’s concerns for energy security in its commercial and military realms may be whether overall the merger is in the country’s best interests.
Brookfield’s global investors span the gamut including other Wall Street funds, sovereign wealth funds of nation states, etc. The firm reportedly has over $825 billion invested in various assets worldwide making it one of the largest asset managers on the planet.
Both Cameco and Brookfield operate in Canada and are listed on the Toronto Exchange. Cameco said in a press statement that the review was part of the standard regulatory approval process for such transactions and added that it expected the deal to close by the end of the year.
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Terrestrial Energy and Westinghouse Sign Contract for IMSR Fuel Plant at UK Springfields Plant
Terrestrial Energy signed a manufacturing and supply contract with Springfields Fuels Limited, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, for the design and construction of an Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) fuel pilot plant.
Image: Terrestrial Energy file
The new contract will deliver a pilot plant in advance of a scaled-up facility for commercial reactor fuel supply to support a fleet of IMSR plants. The UK Government has committed GBP 2.9 million (USD $3.8 million) to establish the pilot plant under its Nuclear Fuel Fund program, which is part of the UK’s energy security strategy.
The contract is a result of partnership between Terrestrial Energy, Westinghouse Springfields Fuels and UK National Nuclear Laboratories, and follows the scoping and planning agreement signed in July 2021.
Terrestrial Energy completed an independent third-party regulatory evaluation of packaging and cross-border transportation of Standard Assay LEU fuel in November 2022. This work demonstrated that existing reactor fuel packaging used to service the nuclear industry is suitable for the transportation and supply of IMSR fuel.
This outcome avoids the costly and lengthy process of designing, licensing and manufacturing new nuclear fuel packaging, and has important commercial implications for early deployment of IMSR plants in key markets. It reflects the advantage of the IMSR fuel choice, as there are, as yet, no large-capacity, commercially viable transport containers licensed for High Assay LEU (HALEU) fuels.
Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy, said, “Our commercial strategy for IMSR is to use existing nuclear industrial infrastructure, materials, skills and capabilities to the greatest extent in the operation of the IMSR plant. This strategy, focused on capital efficiency, is clearly expressed with the use of Standard Assay LEU fuel, and repurposing of the extensive fuel production capabilities at the Springfields site.”
In April 2023, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) concluded, following a multi-year review of Canadian regulatory requirements, that there were no fundamental barriers to licensing the IMSR plant for Canadian commercial use. This was the first regulatory review in Canada of a commercial nuclear plant using molten salt reactor technology and the first advanced, high-temperature fission technology to complete a review of this type.
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