The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the first-ever small modular reactor, from NuScale, a step toward the goal of a next-generation form of clean energy.
“The affirmation of NuScale’s design and strong safety case could not have come at a more crucial time — when around the world, people are struggling from the compounding crises of volatile energy prices and climate change-driven extreme weather events,” NuScale president and CEO John Hopkins said in a statement shared on Twitter.
“We are pleased with this continued recognition of our technology’s inherent safety design and our potential as a timely, carbon-free energy solution to meet our global community’s needs,” Hopkins added.
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The commission said Friday that it has directed its staff to approve the design of NuScale’s generation-IV nuclear reactor for certification. The certification will take effect 30 days after NRC staff publish the rule in the Federal Register.
The reactor’s approval is a major milestone for NuScale, which applied in December 2016 to certify its small modular reactor design for use in the U.S.
It is also a major step for the NRC, which has only authorized six reactor design certificates since its establishment in 1974. The NRC previously authorized designs for the advanced boiling water reactor, System 80+, AP600, AP1000, the economic simplified boiling water reactor, and the APR1400.
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NuScale is currently working with the Carbon Free Power Project, a wholly owned subsidiary of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, to deploy the first-of-its-kind plant at the Department of Energy’s National Laboratory in Idaho Falls. It hopes to begin operations as early as 2029.
