Westinghouse this week announced it plans to market a modified version of its AP1000 reactor with enhancements aimed at markets with elevated earthquake risk.
The AP1000 is currently under construction at Plant Vogtle, V.C. Summer and two sites in China. It currently meets all federal safety requirements for earthquake resistance where it is being built. Nonetheless, Westinghouse and its parent company Toshiba are working on customized materials and reinforcements that would allow the reactor to be built in sites with higher seismic risk, including parts of the Western U.S. and other countries.
Said Senior Vice President Jeff Benjamin in a Westinghouse release, "Customers in more active seismic environments have expressed a strong interest in incorporating this Westinghouse technology into their energy portfolios.”
The company attended a pre-submittal meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday to pursue approval of the modified design.