GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Global Nuclear Fuel, Holtec International and SMR Inventec, LLC (SMR, LLC), today announced a collaboration to advance the SMR‐160, a single loop, 160 MWe pressurized light water reactor based on existing light water technologies, calling the agreement a “procompetitive collaboration.”
Terms of the cooperative effort have been spelled out in a Memorandum of Understanding. The companies have agreed coordinate efforts to progress the SMR-160 which SMR, LLC, the companies said, intends to develop, design, license, commercialize, deploy and service globally. The cooperation will initially include nuclear fuel development supported by GNF and control rod drive mechanisms designed by GEH, and may later extend to other areas.
“We are excited to leverage the experience and capabilities of world class nuclear companies like GEH and GNF as we bring our game changing SMR-160 technology to global markets,” said Holtec President and CEO Dr. Kris Singh. “SMR-160 has prioritized safety in its design, to produce a right-sized, passively safe and cost-effective solution for carbon-free energy. This collaboration will ensure the SMR-160 supply chain, to deliver and fabricate critical SMR-160 technologies and components, including at our new Advanced Manufacturing Division in Camden, New Jersey.”
“Our combined strengths allow us to accelerate commercialization of this technology,” said GEH President and CEO Jay Wileman.
On January 31, SMR, LCC submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy with support from GEH and GNF, among others, in response to funding opportunity announcement DE-FOA-0001817. The “Integral and Separate Effects Test Program for the Investigation and Validation of Passive Safety System Performance of SMRs” project would yield a uniquely configurable set of testing platforms to demonstrate passive safety system performance, accelerate the SMR-160 and other small modular reactor designs to market and help license these designs with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and international regulators. GEH and GNF will support phenomena assessments, scaling analyses, safety analysis system code assessment and benchmarking and identification of recommended experimental tests.
The SMR-160 design would run on low-enriched uranium fuel and operate from an underground location, according to the World Nuclear Association. It would have a passive cooling system that would not require pumps or power from outside of the plant to maintain itself; thus, it is considered meltdown proof.
Other agreements are in place for inter-company cooperation. In 2017, Holtec and SNC-Lavalin of Canada agreed to jointly develop the SMR-160, the later agreeing to lend engineering expertise to the project.
Also in 2017, GEH and Advanced Reactor Concepts (ARC Nuclear) announced plans to collaborate on development and licensing of the ARC-100 advanced modular reactor. Under the agreement, GEH said it intended to license intellectual property associated with its PRISM advanced reactor design to ARC Nuclear. “GEH has also agreed to provide ARC Nuclear access to nuclear infrastructure programs related to quality, safety culture, training, processes, procedures and tools,” connected to the development arrangement. “In addition, GEH will make an in-kind contribution to ARC Nuclear through its agreement to provide engineering and design expertise,” the companies said last summer.