NuScale Announces Roadmap for SMR Operation at Idaho Site by 2024
NuScale, which is developing a 50 MW small modular reactor, provided new details this week on the timeline to having a first-of-kind commercial unit in operation. A company spokesman presented a detailed roadmap for the deployment and a roadmap during a keynote address to the International SMR and Advanced Reactor Summit which took place this week in Atlanta.
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In his conference presentation, McGough said NuScale is preparing to submit a 12,000 page application for design certification to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this fall. The NRC is expected to take three or more years to review the new reactor design.
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According to McGough his company is spending $12 million a month to create, test and license its design. (large image in PDF format) He estimated the entire development process will cost $1 billion by the time it is through. Funding is coming from a combination of private investment and government grants. DOE has entered into a cost sharing agreement with NuScale for design and regualtory review work. If fully funded it is worth over $400 million.
News media reports about McGough’s talk did not provide any details on NuScale’s plan for its supply chain or whether firms in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest would be part of it. Except for civil construction, the whole of the NuScale Plant is intended to be modular and factory built. Analogies to the planned project would be shipbuilding or aircraft assembly. Large portions of the project will be manufactured off-site, brought together, and assembled at the plant location. Competition for the location of that factory is likely to be intense. The State of Washington has taken note and its moving to develop plans to promote locations there for the plant. Separately, NuScale is working with Areva and its Richland, WA, plant to fabricated the fuel for the SMR.
http://www.theenergycollective.com/dan-yurman/2377127/nuscale-announces-roadmap-for-smr-operation-at-idaho-site-by-2024
