The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved NuScale Power's uprated small modular reactor design, a step that keeps the company as the only small modular reactor developer with a certified design in the United States. The approval covers an uprated version rated at 77 megawatts electric per module, building on NuScale's earlier certified design and giving utilities a licensed option for deployment.
Small modular reactors use factory-built modules that can be combined to reach a desired plant capacity, an approach intended to shorten construction timelines and reduce the cost overruns that have affected large reactor projects. NuScale's design centers on multiple modules housed in a shared facility, with passive safety systems that the company says allow the reactor to shut down and cool without external power or operator action.
The certification matters because regulatory approval is a prerequisite for construction and operation. With a certified design in hand, the company and prospective utility customers can move toward project-specific licensing and siting. The broader advanced nuclear field includes other developers pursuing construction permits for demonstration units, and the federal energy department has backed several through funding and fuel supply programs. The approval advances the path toward U.S. deployment of small modular reactors later in the decade.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy - https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/nrc-approves-nuscale-powers-uprated-small-modular-reactor-design