The Department of Energy announced the availability of $452 million in federal funding for small modular reactor research Thursday, and Westinghouse was quick to jump on the chance to further development of its SMR design.
The Toshiba subsidiary announced the same day that it would apply for money from the funds – appropriated by Congress to encourage the commercial deployment of SMRs by 2022.
"Westinghouse will apply for the DOE's small modular reactor investment funds with a consortium of utilities. This federal support will provide the potential to expand the nation's options for nuclear power, as well as to further the nation's competitive edge in the global clean energy race," Westinghouse executive Aris Candris said in a release.
DOE officials have said they hope the agency’s SMR Licensing Technical Support program will help two SMRs achieve design certification and full deployment in the next decade. DOE is also exploring a public-private cost sharing program related to the technology.
Earlier this month the agency also announced agreements with SMR developers Holtec International, Hyperion Power Generation and NuScale Power under a separate program that could allow them to site prototype SMRs at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina.