By Edwig Ban
According to the Romanian Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, in 2022 the manufacture of the components of small modular reactors (SMR) under the NuScale license starts.
Korean company Doosan Enerbility is set to start production of NuScale Small Modular Reactor (SMR) core subassemblies, based on a newly signed agreement, which marks a milestone in the production of NuScale power module.
The American company NuScale Power and the Romanian National Nuclear Power Company agreed last year to collaborate in order to locate a plant with SMR reactors.
According to the wnn (world nuclear news) site, Doosan Enerbility is to begin manufacturing main equipment for NuScale small modular reactors (SMRs), under a newly signed agreement which marks a milestone for the production of the NuScale Power Module.
Under an agreement signed on April 25, the Korean company could begin production of forging materials for the reactors this year, with full-scale equipment manufacturing expected to begin by the latter half of 2023. Specifically, Doosan will begin production of forging dies for the upper reactor pressure vessel. These are expected to be used in the first commercial deployment of a NuScale VOYGR power plant for Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems’ (UAMPS) Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) which is to be built at a site at the Idaho National Laboratory in the USA .
Doosan Enerbility – under its former name of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction – in 2019 signed a business collaboration agreement with NuScale for the supply of NuScale Power Modules and other equipment and, together with Korean financial investors, has made an equity investment of nearly USD104 million in the Portland, Oregeon-based SMR company. The Korean company completed a manufacturability review in January 2021 and Doosan is now working on component prototype development.
Doosan Enerbility has “continuously solidified” its strategic cooperative relationship with NuScale and made “full preparations” for SMR manufacturing, its chairman and CEO Geewon Park said. “The growing market demand for SMRs will also open the door for the participation of our subcontractors,” he added.
NuScale President and CEO John Hopkins said the company was proud to partner with Doosan. “Today’s announcement showcases NuScale’s commercial readiness and signals to the world that NuScale is truly the frontrunner in the race to bring SMRs to market,” he said.
The NuScale Power Module is a pressurized water reactor with all the components for steam generation and heat exchange incorporated into a single unit, generating 77 MWe, which in September 2020 became the first SMR design to receive approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale offers the units as VOYGR plants: a VOYGR-12 power plant comprising 12 modules is capable of generating 924 MWe. The company also offers four-module and six-module plants and other configurations based on customer needs. The CFPP is intended to be a six-unit VOYGR plant.
NuScale is undergoing a merger with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp after which the company will become publicly traded. The company’s majority investor is Fluor Corporation.
NuScale SMR is not a revolution in nuclear power technology, which is why many institutions are challenging NuScale’s achievements.
For example, IEEFA describes the project as too expensive and too risky.
“Too late, too expensive, too risky and too uncertain” is how a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) described NuScale’s proposed small modular reactor (SMR) project.
The analysis, released by the institute February 17, primarily focuses on the SMR project the Oregon-based company is building for Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) site in Idaho. However, the institute noted it was outlining cost risks, construction timelines, and competitive alternatives for all buyers in the SMR market.
In 2020, NuScale received U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval on its SMR design, the first design approval for a small commercial nuclear reactor. SMRs have a smaller footprint, capacity and anticipated cost than traditional high-capacity nuclear power plants.
NuScale is among several companies developing SMRs, with the intent of reigniting the country’s nuclear power sector. The company touts its reactors as “smarter, cleaner, safer and cost competitive.”
