Nuclear Reactors 681 - Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Awards 10.6 Million Dollars to Three Companies
The U.D. Department of Energy (DoE) Just announced awards totaling ten million six hundred thousand dollars to three projects with the Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development. This is the fourth round of funding through this particular FOA. There will also be a fifth round of funding through this FOA. Altogether, this FOA will provide about one hundred and twenty-eight million dollars to private companies in the nuclear industry.
Rick Perry is the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He said, “There are a lot of U.S. companies working on technologies to make the next generation of nuclear reactors safer and highly competitive, and private-public partnerships will be key to accomplishing this goal. The Trump Administration is committed to reviving and revitalizing the U.S. nuclear industry, and these partnerships are needed to help successfully develop innovative domestic nuclear technologies.”
Three different types of projects are being funded through this FOA. The First of a Kind Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project funding pathway is intended to explore major advanced reactor design development projects or complex technology enhancements for existing nuclear power plants which have significant technical and licensing risks and have the potential to be put into operation by the late 2020s. The Advanced Reactor Development Projects funding pathway allows a broad scope of proposed concepts and ideas that are well suited to improving the capabilities and commercialization potentials of advanced reactor design technologies. The Regulatory Assistance Grants funding pathway provides direct support for resolving design regulatory issues, regulatory review of licensing topical reports of papers, and other efforts focused on obtaining certification and licensing approvals for advanced reactor designs and capabilities.
The following two projects were selected under the Advanced Reactor Development funding pathway.
Advanced Remote Monitoring: This project will be carried out by Utilities Service Alliance, Inc. (Overland Park, KA). They will research, develop and deploy automation and remote monitoring technology into the U.S. nuclear fleet. The goal is to achieve economic viability and maintain or improve safety and reliability. DoE will provide $9,183,255.
STPNOC FIRE PRA 2019: This project will be executed by STP Nuclear Operating Company (Wadsworth, TX). They will develop and implement advanced Fire PRA modeling techniques. The goal is to remove existing conservatism and to lead to realistic models for use in the U.S. nuclear industry. DoE will provide $942,477.
The following project was selected under the Regulatory Assistance Grant funding pathway. Software Verification and Validation Guidelines for Nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis to Enable Cost-Effective Advanced Reactor Design: This project will be carried out by SC Solutions (Sunnyvale, CA). They will develop a nonlinear soil-structure interaction analysis software verification and validation guidance document as a critical tool to facilitate cost reductions in nuclear plant licensing and construction. The DoE will provide $470,483.
The Office of Nuclear Energy mandate is to fund research, development, and demonstration projects to reduce the risk and cost of developing advanced nuclear technologies. In addition, they seek to improve nuclear energy’s contribution to meeting the nation’s economic, energy security, and environmental challenges.