The Voygr reactor design becomes the first SMR certified in the US
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has formally issued the final rule to approve the Voygr Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design from NuScale Power, making it the first SMR design to be certified by the NRC and the seventh reactor design cleared for use in the US.
The rule takes effect on 21 February 2023 and “equips the nation with a new clean power source to help drive down emissions across the country”, the US Department of Energy (DOE) said.
The approved design equips the US with a new clean power source to help drive down emissions
The design is an advanced light-water SMR with each power module capable of generating 50 MW of emissions-free electricity.
The Voygr plant has room for 12 factory-built power modules that are a third of the size of a large-scale reactor. Each module leverages natural processes such, as convection and gravity, to passively cool the reactor without additional water, power or even operator action.
The Voygr plant has room for 12 power modules that are a third of the size of a large-scale reactor
NuScale Power's president and CEO John Hopkins indicated that their partnership with the DOE has "a shared common goal - to establish an innovative and reliable carbon-free source of energy here in the US." This partnership, says Hopkins, will "bring the Uamps [Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems] Carbon Free Power Project to completion."
The Carbon Free Power Project will be the first NuScale Voygr SMR power station to begin operation in the US, at the DOE's Idaho National Laboratory. The facility will deploy six 77-MW modules to generate 462 MW of electricity.
Application for higher generation
NuScale is currently seeking an uprate to enable each module to generate up to 77 MW. The NRC is expected to review this application this year.
NuScale is also working on various overseas projects for the Voygr plant in Poland, Estonia and Romania.
Source: NucNet
NuScale is seeking an upgrade to enable each module to generate up to 77 MW
