The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued the final rule certifying NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR), making it the seventh reactor design – and the first SMR – to be cleared by the regulator for use in the USA.
The NRC accepted NuScale’s SMR design certification application back in March 2018 and issued its final technical review in August 2020.
Here is a partial history of approved and submitted designs. There were far more submitted designs that were abandoned but the NRC cleared most of the history to hide how much they killed new nuclear designs.
The fist Pressure Water Reactors were approved under the AEC (Atomic Energy Commission). The NRC took over regularion and only variants of the approved Pressure Water and Boiling water reactors have been approved for the past 50 years.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will certify NuScale’s small modular nuclear reactor design for use in the United States. The NuScale is a smaller version of the approved pressure water reactor design which is the primary NRC design that has gotten new design variation approval over the roughly 50 year existence of the NRC.
The NRC (from 1974-2022) has certified six other designs: the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor, System 80+, AP600, AP1000, the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and the APR1400. Designs for original pressure water reactors and the boiler water reactors were all approved under the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) which ran from 1946 to 1974. After the AEC was replaced by the NRC, the approval of new nuclear reactor designs ground to a near halt.
It takes 7-20 years for an NRC approval and the odds of successfully getting through certification are about 20% or less. The odds seem even worse if your reactor is not submitted by Westinghouse or something Westinghouse-related. CANDU heavy water reactors (which have had versions built around the world), pebble bed reactors and high temperature reactors tried to get licenses and then applications get withdrawn after a decade or so.
Gregory Jaczko served on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2005 to 2009, and as its chairman from 2009 to 2012. He was appointed by President Obama. Jaczko is now openly vehemently anti-nuclear energy.
Here is the wayback machine look at the list of submitted nuclear designs from 2007.
AP600
(Westinghouse)
Synonyms: Advance Passive 600
Approximate Capacity (electric): 600 MWe
Reactor Type: Pressurized Water Reactor
NRC Design Certification Status: Certified December 1999
Supporting Generating Companies (potential site): None
The AP600 is a 600 MW PWR certified by the NRC. While based on previous PWR designs, the AP600 has innovative passive safety features that permit a greatly simplified reactor design. Simplification has reduced plant components and should reduce construction costs. The AP600 has been bid overseas but has never been built. Westinghouse has deemphasized the AP600 in favor of the larger, though potentially even less expensive (on a cost per kilowatt or capacity basis) AP1000 design.
AP1000
(Westinghouse)
Synonyms: Advanced Passive 1000
Approximate Capacity (electric): 1117-1154 MWe
Reactor Type: Pressurized Water Reactor
NRC Design Certification Status: Certified after December 2005, though amendments have since been proposed.
Supporting Generating Companies (potential site): Duke Power (Cherokee County), Progress Energy (Harris), Southern Company (Vogtle), NuStart Energy-Tennessee Valley Authority (Bellefonte)
The AP1000 design is favored for construction at five to six potential sites (ten to twelve reactors) in the United States. The AP1000 is an enlargement of the AP600, designed to almost double the reactor’s target electricity output without proportionately increasing the total cost of building the reactor. Westinghouse anticipates that operating costs should be below the average of reactors now operating in the United States. While Westinghouse owns rights to several other designs, the AP1000 is the principal product that the company now promotes in the United States for near term deployment. The AP1000 includes innovative, passive safety features and a much simplified design intended to reduce the reactor’s material and construction costs while improving operational safety. During 2007 or 2008 it is anticipated that the AP1000 will be the subject of combined license (COL) applications to build and operate new reactors in the United States.
ABWR
(General Electric and others)
Synonyms: Advanced Boiling Water Reactor
Approximate Capacity (electric): 1371-1465 MWe
Reactor Type: Boiling Water Reactor
NRC Design Certification Status: Certified May 1997. Design amendments are possible but have not been publicly announced.
Supporting Generating Companies (potential site): NRG Energy (South Texas Project); Amarillo Power
System 80+
(Westinghouse)
Synonyms: None
Approximate Capacity (electric): 1300 MWe plus
Reactor Type: Pressurized Water Reactor
NRC Design Certification Status: Certified May 1997.
Supporting Generating Companies (potential site): A modified version of the design is being promoted for development in South Korea
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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