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NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
Gerald L. Palau
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 3 | November 1989 | Pages 679-682
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Remote Technology and Engineering / Criticality Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27719
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2), small quantities of fuel material were transported to plant piping systems outside the reactor coolant system (RCS). The likelihood of a criticality outside of the RCS during the cleanup of the plant systems was very small; however, given the consequence of any possible critical event in the TMI-2 systems, it was always necessary to ensure that all steps were taken to prevent criticality. Therefore, engineered controls were developed to ensure that decontamination of plant systems containing fuel material could be conducted in a manner that precluded criticality.