NuScale factory built modular 50 megawatt nuclear reactors have funding, customers and some NRC approval

Nuscale Power has more than $700 million in government and private investment and they have a customer. A consortium of municipal utilities in six Western states hopes to out 12 of the fifty-megawatt reactors together in Idaho to create a 600-megawatt power plant for the bargain price — compared with other nuclear facilities — of $2.85 billion.

In January, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ruled that the design of the NuScale reactor — which relies on air circulation for cooling — is so safe that it does not need the expensive emergency pumps and backup electrical systems required of big conventional reactors. The decision brings NuScale closer than any company in decades to gaining a license to operate an entirely new reactor design in the U.S. for commercial use.

* Energy Department has invested $226 million in NuScale since 2013
* Fluor Corp, a Texas-based $20-billion publicly traded company, has invested $416 million

NuScale Power ModuleTM details include:

Thermal capacity – 160 MWt
Electrical capacity – 50 MWe (gross)
Capacity factor – >95 percent
Dimensions – 76′ x 15′ cylindrical containment vessel module containing reactor and steam generator
Weight – ~ 700 tons as shipped from fabrication shop
Transportation – Barge, truck or train
Cost – Numerous advantages due to simplicity, off-the-shelf standard items, modular design, shorter construction times, <$5,100/KW
Fuel – Standard LWR fuel in 17 x 17 configuration, each assembly 2 meters (~ 6 ft.) in length; 24-month refueling cycle with fuel enriched less than 4.95 percent