The Department of Energy announced Monday that it is taking applications for the second portion of $452 million set aside for the development and licensing of small modular reactors.
Babcock & Wilcox and Bechtel received a grant for up to half of that amount in November to pursue B&W's mPower design, potentially at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Clinch River site. The DOE chose B&W's SMR over designs by Westinghouse, Holtec International and NuScale Power.
Now those companies will have a second chance to apply for the funding for SMR design and licensing. The DOE will accept applications through July 1 for grants of up to $226 million over five years, according to the government's grant synopsis online. The program aims for SMR deployment by 2022 and will cover up to 50 percent of the chosen projects' costs. B&W will not be eligible to win the second award. The grant program is contingent upon continued funding from Congress.
Details haven't been finalized, but DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy plans to hold an industry day for potential applicants on the week of May 13 in Washington, D.C.