US-based NuScale Power Corporation and MillenniTEK Advance have reached a manufacturing milestone by fabricating the first-of-its-kind boron-oxide pellets for NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR). This development enhances the passive emergency core cooling system (ECCS). The pellets function automatically without operator intervention or external power. Upon ECCS activation, the boron-oxide material dissolves directly into the reactor coolant. Boron absorbs excess neutrons to quickly decrease and manage core reactivity. The process stabilises the reactor core during emergency conditions.
The NuScale Power Module is a small, pressurised water reactor that can each generate 77 MWe or 250 MWt and can be scaled to meet customer needs through an array of flexible configurations up to 924 MWe (12 modules) of output. It is the first and so far only SMR to have its designs certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The milestone validates manufacturing processes required for future commercial scale-up. The system supports power generation plants targeting data centres and industrial heat sectors. The achievement marks an important step in NuScale’s plans for commercialisation by furthering the development of specialised components and manufacturing processes.
“NuScale’s technology is built on a commitment to safety, simplicity, and deployability, and this milestone reflects the continued progress we are making to prepare our technology and supply chain for commercial deployment in the near-term,” said NuScale President & CEO John Hopkins. “By working with experienced advanced nuclear manufacturers like MillenniTEK, we are progressing the production-ready processes needed to support our first customer deployments.”
MillenniTEK President Steve Getley noted: “This first-of-a-kind fabrication milestone demonstrates MillenniTEK’s ability to support the advanced manufacturing needs of next-generation nuclear technologies. We are proud to work with NuScale to help mature a critical manufacturing process that supports the safe and reliable deployment of its small modular reactor technology.”
Following inflation-driven cost increases and the termination of its early flagship Utah project, NuScale Power Corporation’s broad commercial SMR deployment timelines have shifted from the late 2020s into the early 2030s. Its first project, which was expected to begin operation in 2029 in partnership with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as part of the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) was cancelled in November 2023 for economic reasons.
However, several active pipeline projects feature specific, legally binding, or targeted commercial operation dates. NuScale’s baseline technology roadmap still allows for accelerated delivery as early as 2029. This timeline has been proposed for an international six-module facility in Poland. NuScale’s standard 77 MWe reactor modules – partnered with ENTRA1 Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to support a massive GWe clean energy programme are currently projected to bring their first active commercial reactors online in 2032.
Romanian nuclear utility Nuclearelectrica’s planned six-module NuScale SMR plant is structured around a sequential deployment. The first individual reactor module is explicitly targeted to demonstrate full operation by July 2033. NuScale’s agreement with Standard Power to construct two SMR-powered facilities in Ohio for technology infrastructure aligns with the broader data centre sector push for “always-on” firm power by 2035.
While NuScale holds NRC Design Approvals for its 50 MWe and 77 MWe configurations, site-specific construction and operating licences (COLA) require an estimated 30-month processing window per project. Moreover, “First-of-a-kind” component manufacturing challenges and supply chain validation (such as the recent MillenniTEK boron-oxide safety components) must reach full production lines to avoid further commercial deployment friction.
