US greenlights ‘first-ever’ small commercial nuclear reactor

The plant will comprise of 12 reactors, will produce about 600MW of electricity and will supply energy for applications including district heating and desalination

US has greenlighted the ‘first-ever’ small commercial nuclear reactor.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given the go-ahead for Portland-based NuScale Power’s application for a small modular reactor.

The plant will comprise of 12 reactors, will produce about 600MW of electricity and will supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination and other process heat applications.

Image: NuScale

The first of the reactors will be built in 2029 with the rest in 2o30.

NuScale Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins said: “This is a significant milestone not only for NuScale, but also for the entire US nuclear sector and the other advanced nuclear technologies that will follow.”

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