Westinghouse has announced a significant milestone in the development of its small modular reactor as it also applies for the second round of federal funding to develop the technology.
The company recently completed manufacturing of two SMR fuel assemblies at its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina. According to a release Monday, they will soon undergo hydraulic testing through August under simulated operating conditions.
The Pennsylvania-based Toshiba subsidiary also announced it has again applied for Department of Energy funding to help license SMR technology by 2022. Westinghouse's capacity to fabricate fuel for its SMR may give it an advantage over competitors Holtec International and NuScale Power. Babcock & Wilcox, which also owns a nuclear fuel production facility, won the first portion of the $452 million in potential funding last fall.
The Westinghouse SMR will produce 225 megawatts. All of the design's primary components sit in the reactor vessel, and it features many passive safety systems first realized in the larger Westinghouse AP1000 design.