Portland, Ore., based NuScale Power said it had signed a deal with French nuclear industry supplier Areva for help designing and testing fuel for factory-built, small-scale nuclear reactors.
The contract is a sure sign of continued interest in a new direction for reactors. NuScale, which was launched in 2007, is working with a Department of Energy grant to design an Integral Pressurized Water Reactor that could be built on an assembly line and shipped to its operating destination on trucks or trains.
Designs calls for 45-megawatt reactors that would fit inside an 80-foot by 15-foot steel cylinder, which has been designed to operate underground. This would allow it to use a passive cooling system in the event of an emergency, since gravity, rather than pumps, could bring cooling water to a reactor if the need arose.
Although the capacity for each contained reactor would be relative small, the company has plans to put 12 reactors on one site, which would create a nuclear power facility with a total capacity of 540 MW.
NuScale was awarded a $226 million Department of Energy grant in December 2013.
Babcock & Wilcox Co., has also been awarded a large grant for development of a small nuclear power plant, but the company has sent signals it is pulling back from the concept, citing a poor market for nuclear power.
NuScale has said its design includes seven barriers separating radioactive fuel from contact with humans, compared with three for a standard nuclear power plant. Boasting points include the cooling system that can operate through gravity alone and a fail-safe shut down procedure. A small plant can also operate safely for 60 years, NuScale projects.
Areva and NuScale did not disclose the value of their contract. "Areva remains committed to providing its expertise and services to customers like NuScale Power. This supports the advancement of nuclear energy in the U.S. energy mix as a reliable source of low-carbon electricity,” said Areva Chief Operating Officer Craig Ranson in a statement.