NuScale Power’s Standard Design Approval Application accepted by NRC
NuScale Corporation announced Tuesday that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission had accepted its Standard Design Approval (SDA) Application for formal review.
The application for NuScale’s VOYGR-6 plant design was started in March, and will now undergo a 24-month review schedule, the company said. The new plant design features an uprated 77 MWe small module nuclear reactor (SMR) that will support capacity requirements for a wider range of customers.
“We are pleased that the NRC has accepted our SDA application, which not only accomplishes one of our key milestones for 2023, but also brings us a step closer to providing clean, carbon-free energy to even more customers around the world,” said John Hopkins, NuScale President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our team has worked closely with the NRC for many years – we’re familiar with their process and are eager to work alongside them to achieve the successful approval of our uprated design. The NRC’s rigorous standards are recognized and respected across the globe, and approval validates the acceptability of the safety of NuScale’s carbon-free design.”
NRC approved NuScale’s 50 MWe design in 2020 and its design certification in 2023, the first and only SMR to receive either. The uprated design now under review has the same fundamental safety case already approved by NRC, officials said.
“This Standard Design Approval will allow our customers to benefit from an increased power output from the small modular reactor design that the NRC previously reviewed and approved,” said Carrie Fosaaen, NuScale’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. “We will continue to work with the NRC on an expeditious, but thorough review of the SDA application.”
The updated design will support a wider range of customers seeking energy through SMRs.
