As
expected, there have been a number of further press releases made after
the announcement that the DOE had selected the Generation mPower SMR
for its first round of funding and cooperation. Most of these have been
from parties who were not selected; below is a Westinghouse press
release, commenting on the plans to build SMR plants at Ameren
Missouri's Callaway site (which already has a very late design
Westinghouse PWR plant, and plenty of space on site for further
construction since Callaway Unit 2 was never built.)
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WESTINGHOUSE, AMEREN MISSOURI AND THE MISSOURI ELECTRIC ALLIANCE REAFFIRM COMMITMENTS TO ADVANCE SMR TECHNOLOGY
Westinghouse Very Much Interested in New U.S. DOE Funding Opportunity to Develop and License its Passively Safe SMR Design
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 20, 2012 – Westinghouse Electric Company today confirmed its interest in applying for a new funding opportunity to be issued by the
United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy
in order to develop and license SMR technology. Upon successfully
collaborating with the DOE in what would be a second phase of its
investment program, the Westinghouse SMR would receive investment funds
to accelerate the development and licensing of the passively safe
design, which has the potential to provide an economic, secure source of
emissions-free electricity generation to the world’s rapidly changing
and diverse markets.
“The
Westinghouse SMR has tremendous potential to advance clean nuclear
energy technology and sustain U.S. nuclear industry leadership and
competitiveness, and we have a partner in Ameren Missouri that is
committed to collaborating with Westinghouse in this groundbreaking
industry innovation," said Danny Roderick, Westinghouse president and
chief executive officer. "We look forward to cooperatively working with
the DOE to ultimately secure and match investment funds.”
“Working with
Ameren Missouri,
Burns & McDonnell,
General Dynamics Electric Boat and the
NexStart SMR Alliance,
we will advance nuclear energy technology and economic development
within the United States,” said Dr. Kate Jackson, chief technology
officer and senior vice president, Westinghouse Research and Technology.
“Being
the first-to-market with an American-manufactured SMR, Westinghouse,
an American company headquartered in Pennsylvania for more than a
century, will continue its global leadership of nuclear reactor
technology and development. Using DOE NP2010 cost-share funds,
Westinghouse delivered successfully the AP1000
® reactor. Today, thousands are employed constructing four
AP1000
units in the Southeastern United Sates that will ultimately produce
safe, clean and reliable electricity for many generations to come. We
are more than ready, willing and able to succeed again with a new DOE
investment opportunity for SMR technology.”
After successfully
negotiating a cooperative agreement with the DOE and securing the
investment funds, the Westinghouse SMR team, including the
NexStart SMR Alliance,
a consortium of current and prospective nuclear plant owners and
operators; cooperative, municipal and investor-owned electric service
providers; and, other public and private enterprises, would work
collaboratively to execute a proposed project having an objective of
receiving from the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) design certification of the Westinghouse SMR and then a combined
construction and operating license for a Westinghouse SMR at Ameren
Missouri's
Callaway Energy Center.
Additionally, the group will work to bring other economic development
opportunities to the State of Missouri and elsewhere within the United
States.
Warner Baxter, president and CEO of Ameren Missouri,
said that a next phase of the DOE’s investment funding process is
significant from both economic and environmental perspectives. “The
advent of small modular reactors will further ensure that the United
States continues to become increasingly energy independent, while also
creating a transformational economic development opportunity for the
state of Missouri and our country, potentially creating thousands of
sustainable, clean energy jobs across a broad spectrum. Ameren
Missouri, our alliance and the entire state of Missouri stand ready to
capitalize on this important project that will also help create a
cleaner energy portfolio for our state and our country.”
Recently, nearly 300 potential suppliers attended a Westinghouse and Ameren Missouri-sponsored
supplier summit
in St. Louis. Industry sectors representing trades and union labor
included constructors, machining, advanced manufacturing, control
systems, design and engineering, heavy equipment, coatings, piping,
tank and storage, large forgings, site prep, and balance of plant
services.
The Westinghouse SMR is a 225 MWe integral pressurized
water reactor (PWR) with all primary components located inside of the
reactor vessel. It is the company's next product innovation utilizing
passive safety systems and proven components, as well as modular
construction techniques – all realized and already licensed in the
nuclear industry-leading
AP1000® nuclear power plant design, the first Generation III+ reactor to receive Design
Certification
from the U.S. NRC and currently being built in China and the U.S.
Westinghouse believes that by building upon the concepts and advances in
– technology achieved in the Westinghouse
AP1000
reactor, the Westinghouse SMR design will provide licensing,
construction and operational certainty that no other SMR supplier can
match with competitive economics.
Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of
Toshiba Corporation
(TKY:6502), is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a
leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to
utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's
first pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa. Today,
Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the
world's operating nuclear plants.
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10:00 AM Eastern 11/23/2012
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW
