The president of the Polish National Atomic Energy Agency (PPA) said that NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology is compliant with Polish nuclear safety and radiological protection standards.
The PAA President assessed assumptions of the design of the reactor control room, reactor core, as well as other systems including electrical power supply, command and control, fire protection, reactor cooling, auxiliary systems, radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel management, and the reactor containment used in the NuScale NPM-20 SMR with a power of seventy-seven megawatts.
Aspects related to the design and operation of a multi-module nuclear facility, the methodology for classifying the safety of systems and elements of the structure and equipment were also examined.
According to the PAA, “as a pre-license instrument, may apply to any solutions planned by the investor, including design, technological and organizational solutions, which will have a direct impact on the issues of nuclear safety and radiological protection”. They aim to determine whether the planned organizational and technical solutions comply with the requirements of nuclear safety and radiological protection resulting from the provisions of Poland’s Atomic Law Act, or whether the investor should make appropriate modification.
In an opinion issued on the 22nd of December, 2023, the PAA president concludes that the assumptions adopted in the design of the NuScale technology are correct and meet the requirements of Poland’s Atomic Law and select regulations on the safety of nuclear facilities. The conclusions published by the PAA will be considered in standard and detailed design process of the NuScale reactors that are planned to be constructed in Poland.
In July of 2023, Polish copper and silver producer KGHM Polska Miedź SA's plan to build a power plant based on NuScale’s SMR was approved by Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment. The decisions-in-principle issued by the ministry is a general opinion on selected conditions enabling the construction of a NuScale VOYGR modular nuclear power plant with a capacity of four hundred and sixty-two megawatts consisting of six VOYGR SMRs with a capacity of seventy seven megawatts.
The decision-in-principle represents official state approval for the planned investment in accordance with the assumption and concept presented by NuScale. It is the first decision in the process of administrative permits for investments in nuclear power facilities in Poland submit applications for. Obtaining it entitles KGHM to apply for a number of further administrative arrangements including siting decisions or construction license.
In February of 2022, KGHM signed a definitive agreement with NuScale to begin work towards deploying a first NuScale VOYGR SMR power plant as early as 2029. In July of 2023, KGHM submitted an application to the PAA to evaluate NuScale’s SMR technology and to prepare a site survey. Under a task order signed in September, NuScale will continue to support KGHM’s application to the PAA through activities which include drafting additional preliminary safety analysis reports and coordination with the PAA. The task order also prepares the way for the subsequent tasks in the Early Works Agreements as proposed by NuScale to KGHM.
NuScale’s SMR technology was the first to obtain approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in August of 2020. NuScale markets VOYGR plants in four, six and twelve VOYGR SMR configurations.