Nuclear developer NuScale Power on Thursday won approval from federal regulators for its second small modular reactor design.
Under pressure to act more quickly on advanced reactors, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission completed its technical review of NuScale’s 77-megawatt US460 SMR in just under two years. NuScale, an Oregon-based nuclear startup, holds the only other SMR standard design approval from the NRC, granted in 2020.
“This completes the NRC’s technical review ahead of schedule and under budget, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to safely and efficiently enable new, advanced reactor technology,” the agency said in a statement.
SMRs are less than one-tenth the size of conventional nuclear plants. They’re built in factories and can be put together to form a six-pack of mini nuclear reactors, a process that nuclear advocates say will drive down costs and speed up delivery of new electricity supplies.
