TVA approves further funding for Clinch River SMR
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"We believe nuclear energy has to be a part of our regional and national drive toward this clean energy future," TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said.
"We previously obtained the nation's first - and still only - early site permit for small modular reactors at Clinch River. That was in partnership with the Department of Energy. The Board has now approved the total of USD350 million, following from that, for the development of small modular reactors at our Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. SMRs are an energy innovation technology that America has to have for our energy security - which is really national security," he said.
This latest funding means brings TVA's investment since the launch of the launch of its New Nuclear Program in February 2022 to USD350 million.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission awarded TVA an early site permit (ESP) for the construction of SMRs at Clinch River in 2019. An ESP certifies that a site is suitable for the construction of a nuclear power plant from the point of view of site safety, environmental impact and emergency planning, but does not specify the choice of technology. A separate licence would be required to construct and operate a plant.
Advanced reactor designs under evaluation for the Clinch River Site Advanced Nuclear Technology Park include both light-water and non-light-water cooled reactors, with more than a dozen vendors providing detailed information to support the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, but the authority says that light-water reactor technology is considered most ready for deployment in the near term. In August 2022, TVA entered an agreement with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) to support planning and preliminary licensing for the potential deployment of a BWRX-300 SMR at the site.
The authority has also partnered with Ontario Power Generation - which has selected the BWRX-300 for deployment at its Darlington New Nuclear Project - to work together on the design, licensing, construction and operation of SMRs.
"We at OPG share TVA's conviction that nuclear power will play a crucial role in meeting increasing demand for low-carbon electricity and energy security. Our partnership with TVA and others on the standard design of the BWRX-300 will expedite the new nuclear generation necessary to help reliably power our growing, electrified economies," OPG President and CEO Ken Hartwick said in response to TVA's latest announcement.
TVA is also part of a consortium of North American utilities formed by Kairos Power to help further develop Kairos' advanced fluoride salt cooled high temperature reactor and, through an agreement from May 2021, is providing engineering, operations, and licensing support to help Kairos deploy its Hermes low-power demonstration reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park, which is close to the Clinch River Nuclear Site.
But pursuing new nuclear technology must be a national effort in partnership with other utilities, research institutes, and state and federal governments, and will require government support, TVA said in a factsheet issued to accompany its announcement:
"Government and policy support is needed to realise the benefits of new nuclear. First-of-a-kind nuclear technology, like any innovative technology, carries financial and technical risks better shared by multiple partners. Key national, regional and industry leaders have partnered with TVA and are supportive of its plans for advanced nuclear technology. Federal government support is also essential to the advancement of first-of-a-kind technology deployment, due to the risks and additional costs that are inherent to the technology deployment process. In order to reach its long-term net-zero carbon emissions aspirations, TVA will need to consider multiple clean energy technologies, including SMRs, and government support will be critical to timely deployment of SMR technologies in the United States."
Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said the additional USD150 million committed by TVA to the development of SMRS is "critical to our industry's ongoing efforts to construct and deploy advanced nuclear technologies in the US, essential for achieving a clean, reliable and resilient energy future," adding that TVA's continued investment in next-generation nuclear "plays a vital role in fostering innovation and driving progress within our industry."
