The first small modular reactor (SMR) application has passed an intensive Phase 1 review by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), potentially marking the next chapter in civilian nuclear power in the US.
The okay of the reactor Design Certification Application (DCA) for Britain-based NuScale Power means that plans can progress for Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems’ 12-module SMR plant in Idaho, which is scheduled to go online in the middle of the next decade.
The SMR is designed to replace the one or more giant reactors in current nuclear power plants with smaller modular ones that can be assembled at a central facility and then shipped to the site for installation.
Each 76 x 15 ft (23 x 5 m) module has a thermal capacity of 160 MWt and generates 50 MW of electricity, yet weighs only about 700 tons and costs less than US$5,100/KW.
These modules can run for a year without refueling and are scalable, so a single reactor can serve small, sparsely populated regions, while larger installations can operate dozens.
This NuScale technology means significant economic and job benefits for the country of operation and it’s positioned to revitalize the nuclear industry by virtue of it’s affordable, flexible, and safe solution to providing zero-carbon energy.