Banner Week for Progress on U.S. Advanced Reactors

Four major announcements were made last week by developers of advanced nuclear reactors in the U.S.  All of them indicate progress towards completing designs and engagement with nuclear safety agencies.

There are significant distinctions between them in terms of technical details of the designs and there are also a range of commitments in terms of the key success factor – paying customers.

• GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Advanced Reactor Concepts LLC (ARC) Nuclear signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop a reactor design intended for global markets.  Initial deployment will be in Canada.
• Southern Nuclear and X-Energy announced it has started the conceptual design phase of its high-temperature-gas cooled reactor (HTGR).  Southern Nuclear named Clint Medlock, a 27 year nuclear veteran, as program manager.
• NuScale Power LLC announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted the firm’s Design Certification Application (DCA).  The NRC said the DCA addresses all of the agency’s requirements and contains sufficient technical information to conduct the review.
• Thorcon / Martindale reports it is in discussions with the Indonesia National Nuclear Energy Agency about its molten salt reactor design.  The firm said its has completed a technical assessment of the cost competitiveness of its reactor compared to coal power plants.

Read more at Banner Week for Progress on U.S. Advanced Reactors