U.S. Certifies First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Design for Use

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, (NRC), has approved the design for the first American small modular. nuclear reactor (SMR).

The NRC issued its final ruling in the Federal Register on Jan. 19 to certify the emissions-free small modular reactor by the Oregon-based NuScale Power, which will take effect on Feb. 21.

Scott Burnell, NRC spokesperson, stated that the final determination does not prevent the SMR being challenged by any utility who applies to build or operate a nuclear plant in the United States.

NuScale’s power module is the first SMR design certified by the NRC and the seventh reactor design cleared for use. The traditional large, light-water reactors were approved previously.

The newly approved SMR is an advanced 50-megawatt, small light-water design capable of providing the “nation with a new clean power source to help drive down” Greenhouse gas emissions in the country said the Department of Energy (DOE).

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Each of NuScale’s small power modules is about the third of the size of a traditional reactor design, which is based on a concept developed at Oregon State University in the 2000s.

The single VOYGRSMR power plant can house up to 12 modules. Its compact size would also allow each module to be placed almost anywhere, including a floating version that could be placed on a barge to regions facing power shortages.

“SMRs are no longer an abstract concept,” said Kathryn Huff, assistant secretary for nuclear energy, in a press statement.

“They are real, and they are ready for deployment thanks to the hard work of NuScale, the university community, our national labs, industry partners, and the NRC.”

“This is innovation at its finest, and we are just getting started here in the United States,” She boasted.

The DOE’s design certification is a historic step toward an emissions-free environment, making the SMR manufacturer’s VOYGR power plant a near-term reality for the energy sector, Diane Hughes, NuScale’s vice president of marketing and communications, told CBS News.

This would allow power companies to choose the advanced light-weight SMR to apply for a license from the NRC if they want to build or operate a nuclear power station.

If the transition from giant, traditional light-water nuclear power reactors to advanced light water SMRs is successful, it could become a reality before the end of the decade.

NuScale has also filed an application for approval of a larger design, that would provide 77 megawatts per module, Burnell said, and that his agency is reviewing the application before starting a full review of the design.

SMR creator, the SMR creator, announced that it had signed 19 international and domestic agreements to construct its small reactors globally.

Biden Administration makes investments in SMRs a top priority

The DOE said it had invested more than $600 million since 2014 to help support the creation of NuScale’s VOYGR small-modular reactor power plant and other domestic small reactor concepts.

The Biden administration has prioritized investments in advanced nuclear technology and plans to increase the life span of all nuclear power plants across the country with additional funding.

Many supporters of green energyAs the West moves away from oil and coal, nuclear power is the best option. It is the only practical solution to a carbon-free world.

The expansion of nuclear power generation using lightweight SMRs is a far effective long-term solution over weather-sensitive solar and wind-powered energy sources.

The United States would have to increase its own mining and create new uranium enrichment plants to supply nuclear fuel, rather than importing it from Russia.

At the moment, 40 distinct concepts are in development to build the next generation advanced nuclear reactors all over the world.

China was the first country to connect a next generation high-temperature, liquid-cooled reactor to its grid last year. This reactor could produce around 200 megawatts of electricity.

Rising costs for nuclear power plant construction are a continuing problem

The first prototype using SMRs will be put into operation by the DOE and NuScale in 2025, with the first power plant expected to be up and running by 2029.

The Energy Department is also working with Utah’s Associated Municipal Power Systems to demonstrate a six-module NuScale VOYGR plant with the Idaho National Laboratory capable of generating 462 MW of energy.

However, costs have already risen for the Utah project, according to Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

In January, the target price per megawatt of power generated by the model plant increased 53 percent to $89 per hour. reported Reuters.

The cost of living has risen “reflects the changing financial landscape for the development of energy projects nationwide,” According to a NuScale press release.

Cost spikes for nuclear energy projects are not new, as the only reactors under construction domestically, the Vogtle plant in Georgia, is already billions of dollars over budget following years of delays, reported Energy Wire.

Hughes said that the company’s VOYGR power plants would become the most cost-effective source of reliable, affordable, and carbon-free energy, despite rising costs, amid the worse pressures on the industry’s supply chain in decades.

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