US-based NuScale Power Corporation says it has placed the first upper reactor pressure vessel (RPV) long lead material (LLM) production order with Doosan Enerbility. The materials are needed to begin manufacturing the first NuScale Power Modules. These are scheduled to start commercial operation at the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) by 2029. NuScale and Doosan will also manufacture additional modules for future NuScale VOYGR small modular reactor (SMR) power plant projects with similar delivery dates.
The NuScale Power Module is a small, a small, pressurised water reactor that can each generate 77 MWe or 250 MWt (gross), and can be scaled to meet customer needs through an array of flexible configurations up to 924 MWe (12 modules) of output. The CFPP is to be built at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory site near Idaho Falls. It will use six of NuScale's 77 MWe power modules to generate 462 MWe. UAMPS, a political subdivision of the state of Utah, is working to submit an application for a construction and operation licence to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in January 2024.
In preparation for the long lead order, NuScale and Doosan initiated an effort in April 2022 to complete manufacture op the forging dies for the upper RPV. Building on this completion, the LLM order with Doosan includes heavy forgings, steam generator tubes, and weld material for six upper RPVs. The total estimated weight of the materials for the six units is more than 2,000 tonnes. NuScale says it is also strengthening its supply chain readiness through coordination with a robust list of suppliers and manufacturers in the US and abroad.
NuScale President & CEO John Hopkins said finalising and submitting the order to Doosan “showcases NuScale’s transition to the manufacturing phase of our modules and highlights our advanced position in the market to deploy our SMR technology to customers by the end of the decade”.
NuScale’s is the first and only SMR design to be certified by NRC. Jongdoo Kim, Head of Doosan Enerbility’s Nuclear Business Group said NRC’s final rule to certify NuScale's SMR design “gives testament to NuScale’s status as the leading technology in the global SMR market”.
