First customer for Hyperion reactor
13 August 2008
Hyperion Power Generation announced that it has received a letter of intent from investment company TES Group to purchase the Hyperion Power Module (HPM) – a 27 MWe nuclear power reactor. The intention is to purchase up to six units for various projects in Europe and the Middle East, at some $25 million each. Hyperion said that, if these projects are successful, TES could potential buy up to 50 HPMs. The HPM is a small self-regulating hydrogen-moderated and potassium-cooled reactor fuelled by powdered uranium hydride. It is designed to operate for 5-10 years before being returned to the factory for refuelling. The reactor is about 1.5 metres wide and 2 metres high, so easily portable, and has no moving parts. Hyperion has had preliminary discussions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and a US design certification application is possible in 2012, when the company plans to begin manufacturing the plants in New Mexico. The design is licensed from the US Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory there. Hyperion eventually expects to build 4000 units for sale worldwide.