The TMSR-500 will be built at DSME at its yard in Okpo, South Korea. The use of a modern shipyard will achieve huge savings in time and cost while also improving quality of construction. Only 24 months will be required from the start of construction before each plant will be capable of sending electricity to the grid. This approach also allows for scalability of the ThorCon plants, with as many as 10 GW of power able to be produced annually per yard or assembly line once production is ramped up.
On 8th November 2021, Empresarios Agrupados (EAI) signed an architect engineering contract for ThorCon’s 500 MW advanced nuclear power plant for Indonesia. The TMSR-500, as the Indonesians like to call the plant, will demonstrate a way to solve Indonesia’s energy needs with a non-intermittent source of power that is carbon-free, low cost and safe. The Indonesia project still needs final approvals but 2022 might be the year that the final deal is started.
The contract marks a commitment to long-term collaboration between Empresarios Agrupados and ThorCon. While ThorCon will be providing its molten salt reactor (MSR) technology, EAI will provide both its pool of 1250 engineers as well as its 50 years of experience with nuclear projects.
As Architect Engineer, EAI will support ThorCon across a broad range of activities, including project management, document control, code compliance, site preparation, pre-construction activities and licensing agreements. Additionally, the company will also provide engineering services to ThorCon throughout the lifecycle of the project from design engineering to construction, operation and eventual decommissioning. EAI will work in collaboration with other partners already selected by ThorCon.
Indonesia needs more energy to improve the prosperity of its 263 million people. GDP per capita is $4,000. Electricity supply averages 110 watts per person, compared to 400 watts in China or 1500 watts in North America.
Nationwide generation capacity totals 58 GW, operated at a capacity factor of 49%. To improve economic growth the 2017-2026 Electricity Supply Business Plan indicated that at least 78 GW of new generation must be constructed by 2026. The government endorses additions of new and renewable energy sources, including nuclear power. Its utility company, PLN, anticipates 4 GW of nuclear power plants.
ThorCon is working with Indonesia to add over 3 GW of cheap, reliable electric power to the grid, to help raise prosperity and limit burning coal for power.
Nuclear fission technology in Indonesia
Indonesia has the most experience with nuclear technology among southeast Asia nations. The country’s first research reactor is a Triga 2000 operating at 2 MW at the Bandung Reactor Center. Indonesia operates a 30 MW RSG-GAS multi-purpose reactor at Serpong in Banten Provence. The state-owned PT Batan Teknologi produces medical and industrial isotopes including Mo-99 for domestic needs using the Sepong facilities. The Yogyakarta College of Nuclear Technology uses a 100 kW Kartini Triga research reactor there. In 2016 Indonesia completed the down-blending to below 20% of all its highly enriched uranium, left over from medical isotope production through 2011, eliminating terrorist-attractive nuclear materials from SE Asia.
SOURCES- Thorcon
Written by Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
They are not operating, yes they need highly enriched U235 and Th,right now they cannot find any HALEU for sale, but say it's possible to start up with regular low enriched U235,they are year away from needing fuel.
The solar panels on your roof are the epitome of giving money to the ruling class,they are made with concentration camp labor and polluting coal.First Solar makes thin film panels without these issues, but most consumers want their panels to come with a dead religious minority and gigatonnes of coal pollution.
"No one wants" . . . "dangerous radiation and potential use as a weapon of mass destruction as well as accidental mass radiation poisonings" You are describing nukes, not power beams. Power beaming really helps nukes use the power they unfortunately cannot deliver very far away, and cannot change to meet load.
Well they're beautiful so eventually some of them will be .
Whenever we need the price of oil to come down and we start to care about the Venezuelan people,we just send a few marines, we should get a few South Americans to help. Although as an American I kind of like the price of oil and gas to go up, we produce loads of both, of course Brandon has stifled it with killing Keystone 2 which also increased air pollution and Carbon,but in spite of the democrats our oil and gas industry can be very productive when the price keeps steadily climbing. I would think Putin would hold off until the olympics end,msr's before fusion, both are coming.
Every country gets to decide for themselves,Indonesia could become very wealthy with the cheap clean energy.
CEO
Yes,but ThorCon is much cheaper than traditional nuclear no high paid rebar and concrete work. They just pour the concrete between two plates.
No one wants power beaming, dangerous radiation and potential use as a weapon of mass destruction as well as accidental mass radiation poisonings. But even if Thorcon is $.05 thats all we need,I also have Helion in the lead, but as others do follow the others as well.
Expect the solar/coal lobby to push hard against rational regulation of nuclear power.
I'm gonna ask a rude question here. but are some of the major Thorcon guys by coincidence married to indonesian women?
Well that army of regulators in the shipyard would be korean, and considering korea is specifically winding down domestic nuclear (but still pursuing foreign export), I imagine they will be fairly helpful. Indonesia is new to the game so who knows.
The vast tracts of land are dual use: A rectenna doesn't block much sunlight, you can farm under it. It's possible the waste heat would even usefully extend your growing season.
pg 9 sez "• TOTAL REVENUE ~80 T$@ 1 ¢/kWe-h" but this is 2009, before Musk cheapo rockets. Elsewhere he sez would go down 10 or even 100 times for owners as system is built out and machines are running along. Do you have any new info?
edit: see pg 11 for "vast tracts of land for recieving microwave power."
http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/pdfz/documents/2009/70070criswell/ndx_criswell.pdf.html
You won't get the receiver on Earth for that. Never mind transmitter or building anything in space (redirector satellites) or the moon or allocating vast tracts of land for recieving microwave power.
Made me laugh. Think Vegas will lay odds?
I happen to like deserts the way they came. Leave Earth to save it. At least move energy, mining and gross agriculture off the surface, indoors with Space energy or into Space. Restore Earth.
Best of luck to them all.
Very much looking forward to watching this from start To power up.
Brian, a yearly update would be nice if possible.
With enough energy you can make deserts bloom.
Make new territory and really help.
Are we there yet?
Since they are only using low enriched uranium, they can probably operate initially under the umbrella of the Local University.
Energy is Wealth that the Ruling Elites cannot horde.
Make enough energy cheaply enough and you will pull humanity out of poverty.
wonder which of these will happen first:
1) Venezuela coup
2) Russia invading Ukraine
3) Molten Salt Reactors
4) Fusion Reactors
Time was when Japan would be leading the charge, at least manufacturing wise. South Korea is the new Japan!
Is there going to be an army of nuclear inspectors in the shipyard to insure that the economics get ruined?
Before the NRC was created to kill nuclear energy, nuclear power plants cost less than coal plants of the day (meaning coal with minimal emissions controls). Extrapolating those pre-NRC economics to today while making no other changes would make nuclear about 80% lower cost than post NRC plants.
The only important problem to solve is the regulator. The production system can provide additional benefits, but only after the regulator is solved.
Who has to sign off on this project? Is it sufficient that Indonesia says "OK", or does IAEA need to sign off as well? If the latter is true, it might delay the project indefinitely…
3 cents for this, 1 cent for Helion, 1 cent or less for Criswell LSP, including the power and the power beaming. Power beaming free excess intermittent little more than 0 cents.
The geo went to MIT and used to building large tankers, they are far more expensive and complicated than a ThorCon unit, which is ship like ,but doesn't move. And has a lot less steel.Less welding,Korean ship yards are very productive,I imagine they'll get HALEU from the Russians ,we also need it for our own new reactor designs.
Like others, have followed the story for years, lots of time with no news, but finally progress, it just shows how far the solar and gas forces have gone to squelch nuclear energy in the US with restrictive regulations,ThorCon had to start over with Indonesia for reasonable science based regulations, no country has reasonable nuclear regulations they have bureaucracy to stop nuclear so that coal and gas can extract money from the populace all the time melting the Arctic so cargo goes in Russian waters and we have an ice free Arctic.
This is the least expensive energy possible ,even less than Chinese coal currently the least expensive energy.The US better pick up her game.
It’s great to see somebody close to deploying a real nuclear power plant that has a production system in place.
Congrats to Brian for following them for so many years.
Great to see some progress after tracking these guys for years. If the shipyard idea is successful, they will be able to scale fast.