- Eight companies provided cost-share development support
- First five GAIN vouchers for 2018 also announced
- NEI commends DOE for recognizing importance of advanced nuclear in U.S. energy future
The next decade is a critical time for the U.S. nuclear industry to begin transitioning to a wider range of reactor types, including small and advanced reactors. Luckily, the nation is blessed with a plethora of innovative talent, with dozens of technology developers, suppliers and the national laboratory system working hard to bring these cutting-edge designs to market. Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy provided this family of innovators a substantial boost, announcing $60 million in research and development (R&D) funding for advanced nuclear technology.
“The stars have aligned and now is the time to act,” Ed McGinnis, principal deputy assistant secretary of DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, told the Bloomberg Future of Energy Global Summit earlier in April. “We have unprecedented support from the Trump administration, bipartisan support from Congress and industry is leading the way in advanced technology design.”
[Source: U.S. Department of Energy]
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry called the new investments “an important step to reviving and revitalizing nuclear energy, and ensuring that our nation continues to benefit from this clean, reliable, resilient source of electricity.”
“Supporting existing as well as advanced reactor development will pave the way to a safer, more efficient, and clean baseload energy that supports the U.S. economy and energy independence.”
The $60 million in awards are all in public-private cost-shared advanced nuclear R&D partnership projects, with industry contributing up to 50 percent of the costs of 13 projects, starting in fiscal 2018.
The funding covers three funding pathways:
- First-of-a-Kind Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Projects: These are major projects with the potential to be deployed by the mid- to late-2020s. Two projects were granted awards in this category, both funded at 50-50 cost-share levels: $40 million in DOE funding to finalize NuScale Power LLC’s small modular reactor design and ensure supply chain readiness to meet a 2026 date for first commercial operation. The other award in this category is $4.5 million from DOE to develop the design and license application for a fuel fabrication facility for X-energy LLC’s advanced reactor design.
- Advanced Reactor Development Projects: This pathway covers a broad scope of concepts related to advanced reactor technologies. Four recipients were granted awards ranging from $2.2 million to $5.4 million in DOE funding, with various levels of public-private cost sharing, including General Atomics, Elysium Industries Ltd., BWXT Nuclear Energy Inc. and NuVision Engineering Inc.
- Regulatory Assistance Grants: These funds provide assistance in resolving regulatory and licensing issues for advanced reactor designs. Two companies—Analysis and Measurement Services Corp. and General Atomics—were awarded up to $500,000 in funding in an 80-20 public-private share split.
DOE said the awards, the first under its “U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development” funding opportunity announcement, are being made on a rolling basis, with applications accepted and awards made quarterly. Up to $40 million in additional funding will be awarded in the remaining two quarters of fiscal 2018.
In addition to these direct awards, DOE also announced technical voucher awards for U.S. companies to obtain assistance and access to the U.S. national laboratory system’s expertise and capabilities under the department’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative.
Five U.S. companies were selected for the first 2018 GAIN vouchers, worth between $130,000 and $500,000, to collaborate with Argonne, Idaho and Oak Ridge national laboratories. Unlike the past two years of GAIN voucher awards, the awards in 2018 are being evaluated and distributed under the new rolling quarterly basis.
The nuclear industry called the awards “significant for U.S. global competitiveness and for America’s leadership.”
We congratulate the companies selected to receive DOE support for developing advanced nuclear technology, which has enormous potential for meeting our nation’s future energy needs in a clean, reliable way.
“We are pleased to see continued DOE support for advanced nuclear projects, which have enormous, game-changing potential for this critical energy sector. With Russia and China forging ahead aggressively with a range of advanced nuclear projects, we commend DOE for recognizing the importance of advanced nuclear technology in America’s energy strategy,” Kotek added.
NEI looks forward to working with the department and Congress to ensure this support continues into 2019 and beyond.