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The U.S. Department of Energy announced yesterday that they had selected three projects in three states to receive about fifteen million dollars in funding for domestic advanced nuclear technology projects. These projects are cost-shared between the DoE and non-DoE funding sources. They will permit teams led by nuclear industry companies to include participants from federal agencies, public and private laboratories, universities and other institutions to advance the capabilities of U.S. nuclear power generation.
The Office of Nuclear Energy (ONE) will fund these awards through their U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development funding opportunity. The mission of the ONE is “to advance nuclear power to meet the nation's energy, environmental, and national security needs. Under the guidance of three research objectives, NE resolves barriers to technical, cost, safety, security, and proliferation resistance through early-stage research, development, and demonstration to:
• Enhance the long-term viability and competitiveness of the existing U.S. reactor fleet.
• Develop an advanced reactor pipeline.
• Implement and maintain national strategic fuel cycle and supply chain infrastructure.”
There have been five previous rounds of funding through this funding opportunity. These previous rounds took place on April 27 of 2018, July 10 of 2018, November 13 of 2018, March 27 of 2019 and May 23 of 2019. About one hundred and ninety-five million dollars’ worth of awards have been made since the first group of awards on April 27 of 2018. There will be quarterly applications and reviews for funding awards in the next three years.
Rick Perry is the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He said, “Several U.S. companies are working on technologies to make the next generation of nuclear reactors highly competitive, and private-public partnerships will be key to successfully developing innovative domestic nuclear technologies. The Trump Administration is committed to reviving and revitalizing the U.S. nuclear industry.” These awards are made in three different types of funding pathways.
The First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project pathway is intended for projects involving major advanced reactor design developments. It is also intended for complex technology advancements for existing nuclear power plants where there are technical and licensing risks. All these projects must have the potential to be deployed by the mid-to-late 2020s.
The Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway will solicit a broad scope of proposed concepts and ideas that are suitable for improving the capabilities and commercialization possibilities of advanced reactor designs and technologies.
Regulatory Assistance Grants pathway will supply direct support for the purpose of resolving design regulatory issues and reviews by regulators of licensing topical reports or papers. Other programs which are focused on obtaining certification and licensing approvals for advanced reactor designs and capabilities will also be supported.
Two projects were selected for awards under the FOAK pathway.
The first award went to the LWR Integrated Energy Systems Interface Technology Development & Demonstration. FirstEnergy Solutions Corporation (FSC) will be funded to develop a light water reactor (LWR) hybrid energy system.
FirstEnergy Corp is an electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the distribution, transmission, and generation of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services.
Please read Part 2