There is a great deal of interest in the global nuclear industry in what are called small modular reactors (SMRs). These are nuclear reactors that will be built in modules in a factory and assembled on site. They are supposed to be safer and cheaper than full sized nuclear power reactors. By definition, these SMR generate three hundred megawatts or less. There has also been talk of creating very small modular reactors that would be called micro modular reactors (MMRs).
     Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) have formed a joint venture to build, own and operate a MMR project at the Canadian Chalk River Laboratory site. The new joint venture will be owned equally by OPG and USNC. It will be called the Global First Power Limited Partnership.
    Global First Power (GFP) has its headquarters in Ottawa, Canada. They initiated the project last year and will act on behalf of the Limited Partnership to oversee the MMR project. GFO will supply project development, licensing, construction and operation of the commercial demonstration reactor at Chalk River. GFP, USNC and OPG have been working together on the Chalk River project for several years. This collaboration led to the joint-ownership agreement and the creation of the Limited Partnership.
     The partnership issued a joint statement yesterday. They said, “The partnership demonstrates the companies’ mutual commitment to making low-carbon, small nuclear reactors a reality for Canada, and a viable alternative to diesel and other fossil fuels. It will serve as a model for potential future GFP projects across Canada, to provide safe and sustainable low-carbon power and heat to industries, such as mining, and remote communities.”
     Joe Howieson is the CEO of GFP. He said, “The backing of OPG combined with USNC’s advanced reactor and fuel designs will allow us to continue to lead the way in delivering a small-reactor solution in Canada. This joint venture is a very important milestone, marking new levels of commitment by an innovator in nuclear power-generation technologies and a forward-thinking, major utility.”
     Francesco Venneri is the CEO of USNC. He said, “While there are many small reactor companies boasting about the progress they’re making, no other organization is closer to constructing a micro reactor in Canada than we are. Through this joint venture, we’re committed to proving how viable, safe, and valuable our MMR technology is to Canada and to the rest of the world.”
     Ken Hartwick is the President and CEO of OPG. He said, “We are excited about the advancement of low-carbon small modular reactors in Canada and see them as an innovative growth opportunity for our company, one that fits well with our existing clean energy portfolio.”
    The Chalk River MMR is a five megawatt high temperature gas reactor. It was designed by drawing on expertise from gas reactor development in China, Germany, Japan and the U.S. According to the information from the World Nuclear Association, the reactor will burn nuclear fuel in prismatic graphite blocks and it has a sealed transportable core. The MMR reactor completed the first phase of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission pre-licensing vendor design review process in January 2019. The MMR project is currently in the third stage of the Canadian Nuclear Laboratory’s four-stage process to locate a demonstration small modular reactor at the Chalk River Laboratory. The MMR project is also undergoing an environmental impact assessment.
     CNL has recognized SMRs are one of eight strategic initiatives that are being pursued as part of a long-term strategy that has the goal of siting an SMR by 2026. Currently, four proponents are involved in the four-stage invitation process that was launched in 2018 to evaluate the construction and operation of a demonstration SMR at a CNL site. U-Battery Canada, Ltd. is working on a design for a four-megawatt high-temperature gas reactor. StarCore Nuclear is designing a fourteen-megawatt high temperature gas reactor. Terrestrial Energy is developing a one hundred and ninety-megawatt integral molten salt reactor. All three have completed the first stage of the process.