(WASHINGTON, DC) -- NuScale Power announced Monday that the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has finished the second and third phases of
review for the company’s small modular nuclear reactor design six weeks ahead
of schedule.
NuScale, an Oregon-based nuclear technology firm, is hoping
to be the first company in recent decades to obtain a license to operate a new
reactor design in the U.S. for commercial use. The company said in a press release
that the nuclear commission is on track to finish its review by September 2020.
“Completing Phases 2 and 3 of the NRC’s design review
certification process is a critical milestone for our company and the advanced
nuclear industry,” said NuScale Chairman and CEO John Hopkins.
Advanced reactors are seen as key to improving the fortunes
of nuclear energy, which emits no carbon, giving it a level of bipartisan
support for its potential to help combat climate change
The smaller advanced reactors, still in the development
phase, are supposed to be cheaper to operate and safer because they produce
less waste.
A group of utilities in six Western states, which would be
the company’s first customer hopes to connect 12 of the NuScale reactors
together for use in Idaho to create a 600-megawatt power plant slated for
operation by the mid-2020s.
