Westinghouse Electric Company has submitted the first set of documents to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) required for the pre-licensing vendor design review (VDR) of its eVinci microreactor.
The CNSC offers the VDR as an optional service to provide an assessment of a nuclear power plant design based on a manufacturer’s reactor technology. It is not a regular part of the licensing process for a new nuclear power plant. However, it aims to verify the acceptability of a design with respect to Canadian nuclear regulatory requirement and expectations.
The VDR process consists of three phases. The first phase involves a pre-licensing assessment of compliance with regulatory requirements. The second phase is an assessment of any potential fundamental barriers to licensing. The third phase is a follow-up allowing the vendor to respond to findings from the second phase.
Westinghouse applied in February of 2018 to the CNSC for a VDR of the eVinci design. The VDR process was initiated following the signing of a service agreement between the company and the CNSC in September of 2022. Westinghouse is executing both the first and second phases of the VDR as a combined program.
Westinghouse has now provided four Phase 1 Focus Area sets of documents to the CNSC. More than forty submissions will be filed with the CNSC during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the VDR process.
Westinghouse said, “The submissions will enable early identification and resolution of potential regulatory and technical issues as the eVinci technology advances through the design process.”
Westinghouse is planning to submit reports for joint review under the Memorandum of Cooperation between the CNSC and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The reports will focus on selected design aspects of the eVinci microreactor with the primary objective of establishing alignment of regulatory expectations as well as developing a common understanding of them.
Westinghouse submitted a pre-application regulatory engagement plan (REP) to the NRC for the microreactor in December of 2021 The submission will detail the planned pre-licensing application interactions with the regulator. An REP assists reactor developers’ early interactions with the NRC staff. It can reduce regulatory uncertainty and add predictability to licensing advanced technologies.
In February of 2023, Westinghouse filed a Notice of Intent to submit key licensing reports for eVinci to the NRC and the CNSC. The reports will be used for a joint review including a common set of requirements for the classification of systems, structures and components for the microreactor. This approach will allow deployment of a standard design in both the U.S. and Canada.
The eVinci microreactor is described as a “small battery” for decentralized generation markets. It will also be available for microgrids such as remote communities, remote industrial mines and critical infrastructure. The nominal five megawatt electrical heat pipe reactor has a heat capability of fourteen megawatts thermal. It features a design that Westinghouse says provides competitive and resilient power as well as superior reliability with minimal maintenance. The eVinci is small enough to allow standard transportation methods. This makes it perfectly suited for remote locations and rapid, on-site deployment. These features, Westinghouse says, make it a viable option for places such as mines and off-grid communities.