GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has announced its achievement of a key milestone in deploying what it claims is the world’s most advanced nuclear reactor design.
GEH has completed its submittal of the design certification document for its Generation III+ Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). With the submittal, GEH has provided information that, probably with information requested and added during the coming weeks, will allow the NRC to proceed with evaluating the ESBWR design for certification.
The new design majors on what GEH describes as its advanced safety features and cost-saving advantages that are key in delivering the next generation of nuclear reactors worldwide.
GEH considers that certification of the design could help spearhead the deployment of next-generation nuclear reactors around the globe. “As the United States debates energy policy, nuclear power should play a pivotal role, as nuclear generates virtually carbon-free electricity,” said Jack Fuller, GEH’s president and CEO. “Supportive government policy is the key to drive the adoption of cleaner energy standards that can light the path to a brighter energy future and reliable energy production.”
GEH also believes the ESBWR’s features make it the most advanced reactor design in the world, including passive safety systems, a further simplified design and even higher safety margins than the already deployed US fleet.
Detroit Edison of Michigan and Dominion Energy of Virginia have submitted NRC license applications referencing the ESBWR. NuStart Energy, a US Department of Energy-supported consortium of US utilities, has selected the ESBWR to receive engineering, licencing and commercialisation support through the NP 2010 Programme.
GEH’s goal is to have the most complete portfolio of nuclear reactors certified by the NRC. Data from the NRC’s review will support GEH’s future project opportunities in Europe and other regions. GEH’s current portfolio also includes the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), the world’s only Generation III reactor that has been certified in the United States and that has successful construction and operational experience. Four ABWRs are operating in Japan, and the global nuclear alliance of GE and Hitachi is building four more in Japan and Taiwan at the moment.
The NRC certified GEH’s 1350 MWe ABWR in 1997, and GEH has notified the NRC it intends to renew the ABWR design certification for an additional 15 years beyond 2012.
In the next era of U.S. nuclear plant construction, GEH plans to continue to apply advanced, modular construction techniques based on experience gained from decades of plant construction in Asia.
GEH is pursuing global deployment opportunities with both the ESBWR and ABWR. In India, GEH has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) covering resources in manufacturing and construction management for a potential multiple-unit project. The MOU is with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, the country’s only nuclear utility, which operates 17 reactors. The ABWR and ESBWR technologies are expected to have, respectively, up to 34 and 40 percent lower operating and maintenance costs per kilowatt hour than currently operating Generation I and II nuclear reactors in the United States. This is primarily because of their increased generating capacity, as well as increased capacity factor and systems simplifications.
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