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Though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has not yet approved any Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs, there are several companies in the United States that are investing heavily in SMR technology. NuScale Power LLC (owned by Fluor Corp.) is arguably the farthest along in the process of developing the technology and is expected to submit its SMR design to the NRC for approval sometime in 2016. Earlier this year, Westinghouse Electric Company announced that the NRC provided safety approval for the company’s testing approach for its SMR design. According to Jeff Benjamin, Westinghouse senior vice president, New Plants and Major Projects, the NCR approval “… confirms the technical maturity of the Westinghouse SMR concept design.”
In an effort to accelerate the development of SMR technology, there have been several policy actions taken at both the federal and state levels. Earlier this year, President Obama signed an Executive Order that 10% of all electric and thermal energy consumed by federal agencies should come from low-carbon dioxide-emitting “alternative energy sources” by 2016 increasing to 25% by 2025. While the establishment of an “RPS standard” for the federal government is not necessarily groundbreaking, the fact that the order explicitly states that SMR technologies would qualify as “alternative energy sources” could spur additional investment. In addition to this order, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made available hundreds of millions of dollars of cost-sharing awards whereby the DOE will help to offset costs of the design, certification, and licensing of a SMR.
On the state level, legislative bodies in several states, including Washington, New Mexico, Alaska, Missouri, Iowa, and Maine have explored policy options to accelerate the advancement of SMRs. The State of Washington has probably been the most active in pursuing policy changes to accelerate investment, as illustrated by the April 1 action of the Washington House Technology and Economic Committee’s decision to pass SB5113 which would require the State’s Department of Commerce to look into how to site and build SMRs to meet future energy supply and environmental and energy security needs.
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More Information
Business Wire: Westinghouse Advances SMR Design Certificate with USNRC Approval for Safety Testing Program
Dr. Ernest Moniz: Statement of Dr. Ernest J. Moniz (Secretary of Energy) Before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (July 30, 2013)
SNL: Obama Executive Order Tags Small Modular Reactors as Clean Energy, Wash. State SMR Nuke Bill Advances; Other Bill Fails to Pass, and NRC Dealing with “Era of More Constrained Resources,” New Chairman Says
This report is part of the Nuclear Minute series. To view all featured Minutes, please click here.
Contributing Author: Eric Hanson
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