On September 19 to 21, 2023, in Corvallis, Oregon (U.S.), specialists of Energoatom attended a technical workshop on the design features of NuScale Power’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology. The workshop was organized by NuScale as part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the companies in 2021.
During the workshop, NuScale presented a technical overview of the primary systems and equipment of their SMR technology, including the integrated NuScale Power Module (NPM), safety and containment systems, electrical and auxiliary equipment, as well as safety analysis, accident management, and regulatory affairs in the U.S. and other countries. In addition, Energoatom’s specialists visited the control room simulator, a full-scale upper module mock-up, and the NuScale Integral System Test (NIST) facility, used to validate NuScale's thermohydraulic calculations.
Energoatom presented an overview of the current state of nuclear energy in Ukraine, nuclear energy development plans and approaches to the selection of new nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors. The Ukrainian team confirmed its intentions to build SMRs in Ukraine, in particular to replace coal-fired thermal power plants damaged during the war and increase the load-following capacities in Ukraine’s energy system.
The information provided by NuScale will now be used by Energoatom for further detailed studies to support the decision-making on SMR technology for Ukraine. The parties discussed possible further steps and agreed to continue technical discussions on deployment of NuScale’s SMR technology in Ukraine.
Note: The NuScale Power Module™ is capable of generating 77 MW of electricity using a safer and smaller version of pressurized water reactor technology. This is a scalable technology that allows deployment of a 4-, 6- or 12-module nuclear power plant of the appropriate capacity. The NuScale Power Module is the only SMR technology certified by the U.S. Regulatory Commission and ready for commercial deployment. NuScale Power plans to deploy its SMR technology as part of projects in the U.S. and Romania, and is considering deployment in a number of other countries, in particular in Ukraine.
