As it endeavors to be the first firm in the U.S. to license a small modular reactor, Westinghouse on Monday announced a partnership with Kansas City, Mo.-based engineering firm Burns & McDonnell to support its development.
“There is no question that nuclear power has to be a bigger player if we are serious about reducing our reliance on carbon-based fuel sources. SMRs are a great alternative to large nuclear reactors due to their more predictable costs and the speed at which they can be constructed. We have decades of experience designing the most advanced power facilities in the world and we are eager to put that experience to work with the Westinghouse team,” Burns & McDonnell Energy Division President Ray Kowalik said in a release. His employee-owned company with a staff of about 3,600 competes for a range of engineering projects in industries that include construction, aviation, telecommunications, transportation and energy.
The new agreement covers a variety of engineering services related to the Westinghouse SMR base plant design process, regulatory documentation and the development of an SMR construction program. Westinghouse and the NexStart SMR Alliance aim to license a 225 megawatt SMR design and build it at Ameren's Callaway nuclear plant in Missouri. Westinghouse estimates a single SMR's construction would have an economic impact of $3 billion in 15 states.