Uprated NuScale SMR design gets US approval
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the 77 MWe version of NuScale Power's NuScale Power Module small modular reactor design. The regulator had previously approved a 50 MWe version of the design.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted NuScale's design certification application for a plant comprising up to twelve 50 MWe power modules in March 2017. The regulator certified the design in January 2023, making it the first SMR design to be cleared by the regulator for use in the USA.
NuScale subsequently uprated the capacity of the power unit to 77 MWe and in January 2023 submitted an application for NRC approval of a six-unit configuration based on the uprated design. The application was accepted for NRC review in July 2023.
The NRC has now announced that it has approved the uprated SMR design. "The standard design approval is based upon the staff's final safety evaluation report, issued 28 May," it said. "This completes the NRC's technical review ahead of schedule and under budget, demonstrating the agency's commitment to safely and efficiently enable new, advanced reactor technology."
A standard design approval indicates that a proposed reactor design meets applicable NRC safety requirements. Companies that seek to use the design would have to file applications seeking permission to construct and operate a nuclear reactor using the approved design.
NuScale said its uprated design features the same fundamental safety case and passive safety features previously approved by the NRC with "a power uprate and select design changes to support growing capacity needs".
"The US NRC's uprate approval of the NuScale SMR technology now strengthens ENTRA1 Energy to produce and deliver energy as the most near-term American SMR power solution via ENTRA1 Energy Plants with NuScale SMR technology inside," NuScale said. "ENTRA1 Energy is NuScale's partner and independent power plant development platform, which holds the global exclusive rights to the commercialisation, distribution, and deployment of NuScale's SMRs."
It added that NRC approval of the uprated design enables ENTRA1 Energy to "provide a wider range of off-takers and consumers with reliable, carbon-free energy".
"We are thrilled that the NRC has approved our second SDA application, this time for our 77 MWe design," said NuScale President and CEO John Hopkins. "This marks a historic moment not only for NuScale, but the entire industry, as NuScale and ENTRA1 move closer to meeting the demands of clean energy users.
"For more than a decade, our team has proudly worked alongside the NRC to achieve the successful approval of our designs. The NRC is domestically and internationally recognised and respected for its rigorous safety standards, and this approval is a crucial step toward meeting our goal of providing clean, reliable, and, most importantly, safe energy to off-takers and consumers."
