Advanced reactor marketplace

Framatome and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) on October 13 announced plans to collaborate on the development of GA-EMS’s helium-cooled 50-MWe fast modular reactor (FMR). Framatome’s U.S. engineering team will be responsible for designing several critical structures, systems, and components for the FMR. According to GA-EMS, the FMR uses a helium coolant and eliminates the need for the graphite common in other helium-cooled designs, and its fuel is designed to support reactor operations for up to nine years before replacement.

On October 11, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) issued a press release describing its proposal under the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program to partner with Idaho National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to deploy the Micro Modular Reactor (MMR), a 15- or 30-MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. As proposed, the MMR would demonstrate integrated energy systems with renewables and other clean energy technologies at INL and would provide training, experimental capabilities, and heat to UIUC. The university plans to demonstrate a single MMR operated as a research reactor and to partially repower an on-campus coal-fired power station.

Bruce Power and Westinghouse Electric Company on October 9 announced an agreement to pursue the deployment of Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor in Canada. Over the next year, the two companies will focus on furthering the public policy and regulatory framework; assessing the economic, social, and environmental contribution of eVinci technology compared to alternatives such as diesel or other fossil fuels; identifying potential industrial applications; and accelerating the road map for Canada to host a demonstration reactor.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) announced on October 6 that it is advancing engineering and design work with three grid-scale small modular reactor developers: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Terrestrial Energy, and X-energy. OPG intends to site an SMR in Ontario, paving the way for the potential deployment of SMRs in other Canadian jurisdictions. The three companies issued their own press releases the same day. GE Hitachi took the opportunity to announce that it had entered into memorandums of understanding with five Canadian companies—Aecon Nuclear, BWXT Canada, Hatch, Black & Veatch, and Overland Contracting Canada—to support the potential construction of its BWRX-300 SMR and to provide future services and components.