By Editors of Power Engineering
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a safety design for NuScale Power’s small modular reactor that eliminates the need for class 1E power, which is currently required for safety-related nuclear power plant electrical systems at all nuclear plants.
The report was limited to NuScale’s design.
NuScale indicated the decision by NRC was a key step in the review process of the SMR’s design certification application, which began in March 2017 and is expected to be completed by September 2020.
“We appreciate the NRC staff’s focused and thorough analysis of the safety and reliability our SMR design offers and for issuing their findings so early in our DCA review,” said NuScale Power Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer Dale Atkinson. “Our approach to safety is a first in the nuclear industry and exemplifies the inherent safety of NuScale’s SMR. This validation brings us another step closer to achieving our mission of delivering scalable advanced nuclear technology to produce the electricity, process heat, and clean water needed to improve the quality of life for people around the world”.
So far, NuScale Power is the only company to have submitted an SMR DCA in the United States. Assuming approval is granted, the company plans to deploy its first commercial SMR by the middle of the next decade.
