US-based Curtiss-Wright Corporation and X-energy jointly announced on 2 August that Curtiss-Wright has been selected to develop the Reactivity Control and Shutdown System for the X-energy Xe-100 Generation IV High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR). This effort will leverage Curtiss-Wright’s broad and diverse strengths in nuclear power generation technologies to develop an inclusive package of control rod drive mechanisms, control rods, and the associated power supply and control system.
"Curtiss-Wright is one of the leading global suppliers of nuclear reactor technologies, and we are very pleased to announce that we are joining the X-energy team as the supplier of reactivity control equipment supporting their next-generation, advanced reactor design,” said Lynn M Bamford, President and CEO of Curtiss-Wright Corporation.
The X-energy’s reactor technology was recently selected under the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Programme (ARDP) to receive initial funding as part of a $3.2 billion programme to build two advanced nuclear reactors that can be operational within seven years.
X-energy will deliver a commercial four-unit nuclear power plant based on its Xe-100 reactor design. The Xe-100 is a high temperature gas-cooled reactor that is ideally suited to provide flexible electricity output as well as process heat for a wide range of industrial heat applications, such as desalination and hydrogen production. X-energy said it incorporates a range of design features that will not only enhance safety, but make them affordable to construct and operate, paving the way for the USA to deploy highly competitive advanced reactors domestically and globally.
