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The Federal Register NuScale link:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/04/2023-16679/nuscale-power-llc
Medium/Long Term Investment
LWA Submittal, an SMR First
https://www.powermag.com/two-big-nuclear-regulatory-milestones-for-idaho-nuscale-smr-project/
CFPP LLC—the entity UAMPS established to develop, build, and operate the first-of-a-kind SMR project at an INL site in Idaho Falls, Idaho—on Monday confirmed the project is still targeting an end-of-year 2029 commercial operation date. The company’s submittal of an LWA as the project’s first part of its COLA marks an “imperative” milestone, noted Mason Baker, CFPP LLC president. When approved, the LWA could “pave the way for the initiation of early-scope construction which is expected to start mid-2025,” CFPP said
“Commencing with construction activities allows for progress to continue on the CFPP site prior to the full authorization granted in the COL,” Baker explained on Monday. “It also marks a significant milestone as a major CFPP submittal to the NRC, and more broadly, the first application to the NRC for construction of a full-scale, commercial SMR.”
CFPP began work on its COLA in August 2021 with backing from engineering firm Fluor and NuScale. For now, it plans to submit the second part of the CFPP COLA in January 2024. If the NRC approves the COLA, construction of the project could begin in 2026, with the first VOYGR-6 module scheduled to be in service by December 2029. All modules are slated to be in service by November 2030.
CFPP, however, continues to grapple with the tough task of signing up project participants—subscribers who could eventually offtake portions of the project’s power. As of March 2023, 26 project participants lodged financial commitments to continue the CFPP in February, clearing the project’s second “off-ramp,” which was triggered by a Class 3 project cost estimate put forth by CFPP contractors Fluor and NuScale in December 2022. The entity confirmed to POWER no changes have occurred since March.
However, CFPP and NuScale continue to implement a subscription plan that includes several collaborative efforts to boost subscription levels to 370 MW—or about 80% of the project’s capacity—over the next six months, or at least by the time the full COLA is submitted to the NRC.
CFPP in March noted that while the current subscription represents just 26% of the CFPP’s gross 426-MWe, it marked an “overwhelming approval,” which was especially notable because NuScale and Fluor’s Class 3 project cost estimate failed to reach its levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) price target of $58/MWh (in 2020 dollars).
Under Fluor’s Class 3 estimations, the total CFPP project cost—which factors in updated owner’s costs, interest rate assumptions, the cost of acquisition and construction, and operating and maintenance costs—now hover at $9.24 billion. CFPP expects, however, that a 2020 cost-sharing agreement with the DOE will furnish the project with another $1.4 billion. Along with $9 million of prior cost-sharing payments from NuScale, that could reduce total costs to $7.972 billion. Further cost reductions could meanwhile come from the August 2022–enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it suggested. A preliminary CFPP analysis indicates that the project could reap about $2.8 billion in benefits, which could reduce net project costs to $5.1 billion.
In December 2022, meanwhile, as required by its Development Cost Reimbursement Agreement (DCRA) with CFPP, NuScale unveiled the results of an economic competitiveness test (ECT) to determine project LCOE. Factoring in findings from the Class 3 estimates, the DOE cost-sharing payments, estimated IRA benefits, and the owner’s cost estimate, NuScale projected LCOE had soared to $89/MWh (in July 2022 dollars).
USNRC Accepts SMR SDA Application!
That's some real news!
Updated design will support a wider range of customers seeking clean energy through small modular nuclear reactors
PORTLAND, Ore. – NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) today announced the U.S. 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 featuring an uprated 77 MWe small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), which will support capacity requirements for a wider range of customers. The NRC provided a 24-month review schedule for approval, which will align with the timing needs of NuScale’s U.S. customers.
Reliability Threats & SMR Benefits
“NuScale Power’s VOYGR™ small modular reactor power plant features a wide variety of attributes well suited to provide reliable, carbon-free energy, even during extreme weather events,” John Hopkins, NuScale’s president and CEO, said via email.
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/rising-reliability-threats-underscore-benefits-small-modular-reactors
As the threats to the resilience and reliability of the electric power grid caused by extreme weather events rise, the advantages of small modular reactors are becoming more apparent.
Those threats were underscored last month when a prolonged heat wave and deadly storms knocked out power for hundreds of millions of people in an area of the South stretching from Texas to Mississippi.
Those outages, unfortunately, are part of a wider trend. The average annual number of weather-related power outages increased by roughly 78 percent during 2011-2021, compared with 2000-2010, according to a 2022 report from Climate Central. Between 2000 and 2021, the report found, about 83 percent of reported major outages in the United States were attributed to weather-related events.
Power outages are not just an inconvenience, they are also costly, particularly for commercial and industrial customers. In a 2017 report, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated that power interruptions cost $59 billion per year, an increase of more than 68 percent since its initial 2004 study. The study also showed that 13 percent of customers in the commercial and industrial classes accounted for more than 97 percent of the costs incurred by the outages.
Recognizing the need to protect critical federal facilities from even momentary interruptions of electric power, the Department of Energy in 2018 recommended federal facilities explore the development of small modular reactors.
“NuScale Power’s VOYGR™ small modular reactor power plant features a wide variety of attributes well suited to provide reliable, carbon-free energy, even during extreme weather events,” John Hopkins, NuScale’s president and CEO, said via email.
Those attributes include fuel security, flexibility, operational security, and independent operation. Small modular reactors, for example, can store up to two years’ worth of fuel on-site, allowing them to generate power when extreme events disrupt supplies of gas or coal to thermal generators. And, unlike large, traditional nuclear plants that must run at nearly full capacity around the clock, some small modular reactors, such as NuScale Power’s, have the flexibility to vary their output over days, hours and even minutes, allowing them to respond quickly to grid conditions.
In addition, at a time when regulators and grid operators are looking for ways to bolster resiliency, NuScale’s SMR design offers several advantages for reliable grid operation. NuScale’s SMR design has black start capability, meaning it can generate power from a cold start without an external grid connection.
NuScale’s VOYGR SMR plant design includes two backup generators that have the ability to start one SMR. Once a single module is running, it can supply the electrical power to start up the rest of the plant.
NuScale’s SMR design is unique in that it is the only design certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that does not require class 1E power, a safety standard for electrical equipment and systems that are essential to emergency reactor shutdown, containment isolation, reactor core cooling, and containment and reactor heat removal.
NuScale’s design also includes a unique passive safety system that does not require operator or computer actions to implement safety procedures in the event there is a total loss of power to the plant.
A VOYGR plant may include up to 12 power modules. Each incorporates a reactor pressure vessel, which includes the nuclear core, steam generator, and pressurizer, and a containment vessel that surrounds the reactor vessel.
During normal operation, each containment vessel is fully immersed in a water-filled, underground stainless steel-lined concrete pool. The pool is housed in a Seismic Category I building, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission standard for structures that can withstand maximum potential earthquake stresses, making it capable of withstanding a Fukushima type earthquake, as well as hurricanes and tornados.
The pool is large enough to provide 30 days of core and containment cooling without adding water. After 30 days, the core decay heat generation is so small that the natural convection heat transfer to air at the outside surface of the containment, coupled with thermal radiation heat transfer, is sufficient to remove the core decay heat for an unlimited period.
Even in the face of more malicious threats, a VOYGR plant is armed with safety features that could make it a key asset in a time of emergency. A NuScale nuclear plant is also resistant to an electromagnetic pulse event that could cripple more conventional generation assets on the electrical grid.
With its passive shut-down capability, ability to operate in steam bypass mode, its electrical isolation of safety equipment, and its multi-layered shielding and redundant fiber optic cabling, NuScale’s VOYGR SMR power plant design is still able to perform and even shut down safely even when the electric grid is crippled.
The combination of those attributes also gives a NuScale Power Module™, the company’s trademark SMR design, the ability to operate in island mode during an outage or an emergency, that is, a single SMR could supply all the electricity needs of the plant while continuing to provide power to a mission critical facility without external grid connection via a micro-grid connection.
“NuScale SMR design can support microgrid or remote installations for customers anywhere grid stability is less than desirable or nonexistent,” Hopkins said.
The ability to operate in isolation from the grid, also gives NuScale’s VOYGR™ power plants first responder status. When the transmission system goes down and a conventional nuclear plant loses its external power, it is designed to automatically shut down. A VOYGR plant, however, would remain online, ready to provide electricity to the grid when the transmission system comes back online.
In a scenario in which a catastrophe resulted in the loss of the electric grid and of transportation infrastructure, NuScale said its 12-module plant design would be able to provide 154 megawatts of electricity for 12 years to a microgrid of a mission-critical facility without the need for new fuel.
And even when refueling becomes necessary, NuScale’s scalable plant design permits staggered refueling of a single module while the other 11 modules continue providing 92 percent of the facility’s electrical output.
“In short, NuScale’s SMR design has fewer and simpler systems, resulting in enhancements to safety and resilience compared to traditional large nuclear plants,” Hopkins said.
“As energy demands rise, it makes sense that utilities, regulators and policymakers are looking closely at the unique features NuScale SMRs can provide to increase and safeguard the reliability of the electric grid,” Hopkins said.
MOUs, Poland, Korea
Korean, Polish construction firms team up for nuclear projects
17 July 2023
KGHM noted that one of the "important projects that will bring the company closer to achieving energy independence" is the deployment of SMR technology. In February 2022, KGHM signed a definitive agreement with NuScale Power of the USA to initiate work towards deploying a first NuScale VOYGR SMR power plant in Poland as early as 2029. It said NuScale's reactor design is based on the well-known concept of pressurised light water reactors, while its modular, integrated design allows for the simplification and shortening of the investment and construction process.
Last week,Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment issued a decision-in-principle to KGHM on the construction of a power plant based on NuScale Power's SMR technology. The decision-in-principle is a general opinion on selected conditions enabling the construction of a NuScale VOYGR modular nuclear power plant with a capacity of 462 MWe consisting of six modules, each with a capacity of 77 MWe. The decision represents official state approval for the planned investment in accordance with the assumptions and concept presented by the company.
Nucor/NuScale MOU
https://www.nuscalepower.com/en/news/press-releases/2023/nuscale-and-nucor-sign-mou-to-explore-using-smrs-to-power-electric-arc-furnace-steel-mills
Continuing to fill the sales pipeline.
Best of luck with your investments!
ISO 9001:2015 certification further demonstrates our commitment to a strong quality program that can satisfy global standards for quality. Achieving this critical milestone recognizes the maturity of our QMS, with processes that are scalable and repeatable. We look forward to utilizing the QMS to meet customer and regulatory requirements globally,” said Karin Feldman, Interim Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nuclear Officer.
PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR), the industry-leading provider of proprietary and innovative advanced nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) technology, announced that Orion Register Inc., a leading International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and industry-specific certification body, issued NuScale the highly regarded ISO 9001:2015 certification. Orion Register issued the certification after completing an evaluation of NuScale’s quality management system (QMS). The rigorous review process confirmed that NuScale has a strong quality system, which ensures consistent, high-quality work, with strong focus on customer feedback and improvement.
NuScale first received U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval of its quality assurance program under Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Appendix B / Nuclear Quality Assurance-1 (NQA-1) in 2011, and since 2019, NuScale has held an N Certificate of Authorization issued by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Both NQA-1 and the ASME N Certificate are considered hallmarks for nuclear quality programs.
Doosan Enerbility & Export-Import Bank of Korea Agreement
Apr. 25, 2023 5:45 PM ET
During the President of the Republic of Korea’s visit to the United States, NuScale and its partners revealed a business development milestone, highlighting Global Supply Chain Development Opportunities
PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NuScale Power Corporation (SMR) announced today it has signed an memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Doosan Enerbility Co., Ltd. (Doosan) and Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) to strengthen collaboration among the three parties and support NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR) deployment. This announcement leverages and bolsters an existing relationship between NuScale and Doosan, and it highlights the domestic and global manufacturing opportunities to build SMRs around the world.
The agreement outlines areas of cooperation, such as marketing, technical support, and further development of a global supply chain, and Doosan and NuScale commit to strengthening their cooperation to deploy NuScale VOYGR™ plants globally. Specifically, Doosan committed to helping establish a US-based supply chain for NuScale Power Module™ production through capacity expansion and manufacturing technology advancement.
“Today’s news underscores how our SMRs fill a unique global need: providing flexible, reliable and carbon-free energy while driving economic activity in manufacturing and supply chain development. With our Korean partners and their technical expertise, we are well-positioned to meet this ambitious goal,” said John Hopkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of NuScale Power. “The momentum towards creating a domestic and global supply chain to deploy our SMR technology is accelerating.”
This announcement builds upon a longstanding collaboration between NuScale and Doosan. At the end of 2022, NuScale placed the first upper reactor pressure vessel long lead material production order with Doosan.
In March 2023, KEXIM and NuScale signed an MOU in which they agreed to financial cooperation in support of deploying NuScale VOYGR plants. KEXIM is the official export credit agency of Korea providing comprehensive export credit and guarantee programs to support Korean enterprises conducting overseas business. The organization continues to explore potential opportunities to provide credit facilities to NuScale and facilitate overseas business of Doosan in collaboration with NuScale. With KEXIM’s assistance, Doosan and NuScale will be able to deploy NuScale VOYGR plants worldwide and utilize a Korean supply chain when deploying NuScale plants in the Asian market.
I am watching this one, and may add a position. Best of luck to all here.
UAMPS moves forward with NuScale
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/western-us-cities-vote-move-ahead-with-novel-nuclear-power-plant-2023-02-28/
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Plans for the first U.S. small modular nuclear power reactor got a boost on Tuesday as some Western U.S. cities vowed to continue with the NuScale Power Corp (SMR.N) project despite a jump in projected costs.
NuScale plans to build a demonstration small modular reactor (SMR) power plant at the Idaho National Laboratory. If successful, the six-reactor, 462 megawatt Carbon Free Power Project will run in 2030.
NuScale said in January the target price for power from the plant is $89 per megawatt hour, up 53% from the previous estimate of $58 per MWh, a jump that raised concerns about whether customers would be willing to pay for the power it generates.
Register for free to Reuters and know the full story
But the consortium of cities in Utah, Idaho, New Mexico and Nevada called Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, or UAMPS, greenlighted the project's budget and finance plan with 26 of 27 approving.
The consortium originally had 30 members but three dropped out starting in 2020 amid rising costs and delays.
The next step, an application to construct and operate the plant, is expected to be submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission early next year.
Mason Baker, the UAMPS chief executive and general manager, said the cities felt the project remained viable because rising prices for steel, copper, and cable were not unique to NuScale.
"The project will support our decarbonization efforts, complement and enable more renewable energy, and keep the grid stable," Baker said. "It will produce steady, carbon-free energy for 40 years or longer.
Backers of next generation nuclear power technologies, including the Biden administration, believe small modular reactors can be built quickly once scaled and will be crucial in curbing climate change.
Critics say the technology is too expensive compared to renewable energy and energy storage and that the reactors will produce radioactive waste, a problem that has boosted costs for traditional nuclear plants.
The U.S. Department of Energy in 2020 approved $1.35 billion over 10 years for the project, subject to congressional appropriations.
NPR Science Friday Podcast, feat. NuScale
https://www.sciencefriday.com/episodes/february-3-2023/
A good way to get the word out. Again, mid-long term investment.
Best of luck with your investments!
NRC is amending its regulations to certify the NuScale standard design for a small modular reactor.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/19/2023-00729/nuscale-small-modular-reactor-design-certification
I assume this is for the 50 MWe (not the 77).
NuScale is the first small modular reactor design reviewed by the NRC. NuScale is based on a small light water reactor developed at Oregon State University in the early 2000s. It consists of one or more NuScale power modules (hereafter referred to as power module(s)).
A power module is a natural circulation light water reactor composed of a reactor core, a pressurizer, and two helical coil steam generators located in a common reactor pressure vessel that is housed in a compact cylindrical steel containment. The NuScale reactor building is designed to hold up to 12 power modules. Each power module has a rated thermal output of 160 megawatt thermal (MWt) and electrical output of 50 megawatt electric (MWe), yielding a total capacity of 600 MWe for 12 power modules.
All the NuScale power modules are partially submerged in a common safety-related pool, which is also the ultimate heat sink for up to 12 power modules. The pool portion of the reactor building is located below grade. The design utilizes several first-of-a-kind approaches for accomplishing key safety functions, resulting in no need for Class 1E safety-related power (no emergency diesel generators), no need for pumps to inject water into the core for post-accident coolant injection, and reduced need for control room staffing while providing safe operation of the plant during normal and post-accident operation.
As a follow up to the SA bearish article, here are another couple of reports on the European push to nuclear.
1. https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/la-france-commence-l-annee-en-redevenant-exportatrice-d-electricite-selon-rte-20230110
France is now exporting electrical power due to a strong push to revitalize its parc
2. https://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/la-belgique-prolonge-de-dix-ans-deux-centrales-nucleaires-20230109
Belgium is renewing for at least 10 years its nuclear ambitions
3. https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Poland-s-Respect-Energy-considers-deploying-French
Poland is looking at NuWard (French SMR) to decarbonize:
By signing an exclusive cooperation agreement we start an ambitious project of deploying the first European SMR in our country which will help us to decarbonise the Polish economy and will expand our growing portfolio of zero-emission assets.
Interesting bearish article on SA
I disagree with most of the article.
For example:
The company is still a year away from real clarity about its UAMPS project, and it is anyone’s guess what the Polish and Romanian interests mean.
One of the issues that I have with nuclear industry advocates, and this includes SMR companies, is that there is constant reference to the “fact” that decarbonization cannot be effectively completed without a major expansion of nuclear technology
Customer Opportunity as of Jan 2023
For now, they have two commitments:
* UAMPS (Utah)
* RoPower (Romania)
I think the next one will be KGHM in Poland. After that, it's a bit less clear, so another 2 to identify from the list above.
The above slide also shows the global reach of NuScale. I would not be surprised if going abroad - with the help of the US DOE in some cases - would prove to the entire process and help greatly for the US market. Some countries, like eastern Europeans ones, need to wean off Russia oil&gaz. Those may accelerate once the concept keeps being proven by actual process milestones leading to full deployment and operations.
2023 Goals
If they do get the next 3 commitments this year, that will be a very big plus.
The SDA Application Approval (not the SDA approval) may take a while, some back and forth. That would be another big news. The process could then start for the SDA approval, which itself takes a couple of years and a lot more back and forth!
2022 Achievements
From the January2023 Investor Presentation:
https://www.nuscalepower.com/-/media/nuscale/pdf/investors/2023/investor-presentation-jan2023.pdf
Best of luck with your investments!
Moving project forward: BPF and DCRA update
Keeping commitments in the face of inflationary pressure on materials. That's another good news here.
Carbon Free Power Project’s Project Management Committee passes resolution to move the Project forward on schedule
PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NuScale Power Corporation (SMR) announced today that the Project Management Committee (PMC) for the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) reaffirmed its commitment to NuScale’s industry-leading small modular reactor (SMR) technology by approving a new Budget and Plan of Finance (BPF) and an update to the Development Cost Reimbursement Agreement (DCRA). This key milestone was reached with the receipt and acceptance of the CFPP’s Class 3 Project Cost Estimate (PCE), which further refines the anticipated total cost of the project.
The CFPP will be the first NuScale Power SMR power plant to begin operation in the United States near Idaho Falls, Idaho, at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. The SMR plant will deploy six, 77-megawatt modules to generate 462 megawatts of carbon-free electricity. The CFPP remains on schedule and is a cost-competitive, carbon-free and dispatchable resource that is an important part of a diversified resource portfolio.
As part of the PCE, NuScale worked with its partners at the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) to update the project’s BPF, which is designed to manage and reduce risk to CFPP participants. The BPF provides UAMPS with an option to withdraw from the project and be reimbursed for most out-of-pocket expenses if the CFPP’s price of energy per megawatt hour exceeds a certain threshold. The new DCRA that was approved by the PMC also establishes an updated target price of $89 per megawatt hour, which reflects the changing financial landscape for the development of energy projects nationwide. NuScale and the CFPP have yet to execute the amendment to the DCRA adopting the new price target.
The Class 3 PCE determined that the cost of the CFPP has been influenced by external factors such as inflationary pressures and increases in the price of steel, electrical equipment and other construction commodities not seen for more than 40 years. For example, the producer price index for commodities such as carbon steel piping and fabricated steel plates have increased by more than 50% since 2020. These inflationary pressures are increasing the costs for all power generation and infrastructure projects.
Romania 1st SMR Contract for Phase 1 of Front-End Engineering and Design Work
That's a milestone. Lots of work needed to happen before the Phase 1 contract. NuScale is starting the year on a strong note.
NuScale Secures RoPower as the Company’s Second Committed Customer
PORTLAND, Ore. – NuScale Power, LLC (NuScale) and Romania’s RoPower Nuclear S.A. (RoPower), owned in equal shares by S.N. Nuclearelectrica S.A. and Nova Power & Gas S.A., announced today that a contract for Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) work was signed between parties on December 28, 2022, marking a significant step toward the deployment of a NuScale VOYGR™ small modular reactor (SMR) power plant in Romania.
Phase 1 of the FEED work awarded to NuScale will define the major site and specific inputs for a VOYGR-6 SMR power plant to be deployed at the Doicesti Power Station site in Romania. The eight-month project includes the issuance of subcontracts to perform the environmental impact assessment and subsurface geotechnical investigation, the evaluation of site and site-specific requirements for NuScale’s standard plant design, and the development of a project-specific cost estimate.
First touted by President Biden as part of his Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in June 2022, the commencement of this work is a landmark advancement between NuScale and Nuclearelectrica aimed at deploying the first SMRs in Europe to help meet regional energy security and decarbonization goals.
“NuScale’s commencement of Phase 1 Front-End Engineering and Design work in partnership with Nuclearelectrica/RoPower keeps Romania on the path toward becoming the first country in Europe to benefit from safe, reliable and carbon-free small modular reactor technology,” said John Hopkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of NuScale. “We’re excited to enter into this next phase of our partnership with Nuclearelectrica and RoPower as our focus turns to the practical next steps toward the deployment of a NuScale VOYGR-6 SMR power plant in Romania.”
”We are proud to advance our partnership with NuScale and start the in-depth analysis and project planning on Doicesti site,” said Cosmin Ghita, CEO of Nuclearelectrica. “The signing of the contract for FEED work follows nearly four years of collaboration, research, and studies to ensure we select the safest and most performing technology, as well as the appropriate site. It also demonstrates the partners share the same values and commitment to build a greener and more sustainable future for the next generations.”
Commencement of this Phase 1 work follows the June signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NuScale and Nuclearelectrica to begin conducting engineering studies, technical reviews, and licensing and permitting activities for the project.
(2nd) Standard Design Approval Application Submittal
I was expecting this submittal in December 2022, it was submitted on January 1, 2023. I do like companies meeting their planned deadlines. This submittal is far from simple. The NRC is known for its thoroughness, and NuScale already went through the rigorous process for their first Standard Design (the 50 MWe module). This one is for a more powerful (77 MWe module ).
PORTLAND, Ore. – On January 1, 2023, NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) completed submission of a Standard Design Approval (SDA) application to the U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its updated small modular reactor (SMR) design, which is based on a VOYGR™-6 (6-module) configuration powered by an uprated 250 MWt (77 MWe) module. The design features the same fundamental safety case and totally passive safety features approved by the NRC in 2020, with a power uprate and select design changes to support customers’ capacity needs and further improve economics.
“On our journey to change the power that changes the world, NuScale has reached another critical regulatory milestone with the NRC,” said John Hopkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of NuScale Power. “Customers already appreciate that our SMR is unmatched in reliability and safety. Today’s announcement solidifies our technological superiority and does so within our previously stated commercialization timeline.”
In November 2020, through further value engineering efforts, advanced testing, and modeling tools, NuScale concluded that its technology could generate 25 percent more power per module for a total of 77 MWe per module (gross). Due to the higher power output, NuScale decided to seek approval of a six module, VOYGR-6 design, instead of the 12-module configuration that was in the previously approved design. Similar to power uprates at existing nuclear facilities, through increased analysis and supporting test data, NuScale has concluded that more power can be obtained from essentially the same NuScale Power Module™ that previously received NRC approval.
The NRC approved NuScale’s groundbreaking SMR design in 2020 with the issuance of their Final Safety Evaluation Report. The design remains the only SMR design application to be submitted to and approved by the NRC, marking a significant milestone for NuScale and the entire energy industry. That approval has set the stage for an efficient and effective review of the second SDA application, with NuScale establishing alignment with the NRC through a robust pre-application engagement and readiness review process.
All Parts of the application were submitted to the NRC on January 1, 2023, including the entire Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) and all technical reports, which are incorporated by reference into the FSAR. Three additional Licensing Topical Reports that serve as references to the FSAR, but are not incorporated by reference, are expected to be submitted by NuScale in the coming days.
The NRC’s approval of the NuScale design’s safety aspect has led to customers like mining company KGHM Polska Miedz S.A.in Poland and state nuclear power corporation S.N. Nuclearelectrica S.A. in Romania to take steps over the last two years toward deploying VOYGR™ SMR power plants to meet their clean energy needs.
Bought another $10.26 slice today
Best of luck with your investments!
Standard Plant Design Project Completed!
PORTLAND, Ore. – NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR), the industry-leading provider of proprietary and innovative advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology, announced today it has completed the Standard Plant Design (SPD) project ahead of schedule. This announcement demonstrates NuScale’s preparedness for facility construction and equipment procurement and manufacturing of long-lead major engineered equipment, while underscoring the company’s unmatched level of progress toward delivering VOYGR™ SMR power plants to customers around the world.
The SPD provides customers with a generic VOYGR power plant design that will serve as a starting point for deploying site-specific designs. The SPD encompasses 12,000 deliverables to support client-licensing and deployment activities including:
Full material takeoffs
Equipment lists
Data sheets
Architectural and construction drawings and specifications
Detailed system design specifications and calculations
Electrical single-lines and load lists
Mechanical piping and instrumentation diagrams
Along with these deliverables, a comprehensive 3D model of the power plant was produced, providing a crucial asset for potential customers to evaluate and leverage when determining the suitability of NuScale’s technology.
Shell/NuScale on Hydrogen Production
Shell and NuScale to use nuclear power to make hydrogen
Research project would put hydrogen facility at modular NuScale plant
Shell has signed with US nuclear pioneer NuScale to assess the idea of putting hydrogen production systems at small nuclear power plants.
The two plan to develop an integrated energy system which would produce hydrogen, using electricity and waste heat from a NuScale Voygr small modular reactor (SMR) plant The hydrogen could be used to store excess energy that can be used to balance the grid.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) have been proposed as a practical way to deliver nuclear power plants without the lengthy delays and overruns associated with large scale nuclear power stations. Both NuScale and Britain's Rolls Royce have suggested that they could be used to deliver clean power to large projects such as data centers.
Contracts with Framatome
Framatome is a well known, large company in Nuclear. That's a great partnership!
Contracts include important design and future fabrication activities, critical to NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology delivery
PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NuScale Power, LLC (NuScale) announced today it has awarded two new contracts to Framatome to design fuel handling equipment and fuel storage racks for NuScale’s VOYGR™ SMR power plant. This marks a critical supply chain and manufacturing development step, as NuScale fulfills customers’ project timelines to deploy its groundbreaking technology by the end of the decade.
“NuScale is proud to strengthen our relationship with Framatome, a renowned and widely respected international leader in nuclear energy,” said Dale Atkinson, NuScale Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer. “This agreement showcases how NuScale’s technology is meticulously developed with a premier international nuclear design and fabrication organization.”
SMR Nuclear Waste comparable to 'Traditional' PWRs/LWRs
https://www.anl.gov/article/argonne-releases-small-modular-reactor-waste-analysis-report
The spent fuel attributes vary somewhat between the designs, with VOYGR being similar to LWRs, Natrium producing a more concentrated waste with different long-lived isotopes, and Xe-100 producing a lower density but larger volume of spent fuel.
SMR Nuclear Waste comparable to 'Traditional' PWRs/LWRs
https://www.anl.gov/article/argonne-releases-small-modular-reactor-waste-analysis-report
The spent fuel attributes vary somewhat between the designs, with VOYGR being similar to LWRs, Natrium producing a more concentrated waste with different long-lived isotopes, and Xe-100 producing a lower density but larger volume of spent fuel.
