The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced July 7th, $ 5.8 million to develop three construction technologies that, together, can cut the cost of new nuclear power plants by more than 10%.
“Construction costs and missed deadlines plagued new nuclear power plants for decades,” said Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Power at the DOE. “By using advanced construction technologies, we can cut costs and accelerate the pace of advanced nuclear use – much-needed steps to tackle global climate change and the president’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
The project team, led by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, will demonstrate three technologies that take advantage of promising developments from other industries that have not yet been tested in the context of nuclear energy. These include:
- Vertical shaft construction, a best practice from the tunneling industry that could cut construction time by more than a year;
- Steel Bricks (TM), modular steel-and-concrete composite structures similar to high-tech LEGO® pieces that could significantly reduce the amount of work on site;
- Advanced surveillance coupled with digital twin technology that can create a 3D replica of the nuclear power plant structure.
These technologies can be applied to a variety of advanced reactor designs to greatly improve the economics of bringing modern reactors to market.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy leads a proposal team that includes Black & Veatch, the Electric Power Research Institute, Purdue University, Caunton Engineering, Modular Walling Systems Limited, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
This work is funded and managed by the DOE’s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC), which was established in 2019 to facilitate advanced reactor demonstration and deployment. This project, known as Advanced Construction Technology (ACT), will be carried out in two phases. The initial phase focuses on technology development and preparation for a small-scale demonstration. Subject to the successful completion of the first phase and future use of funds, a second phase is planned in order to carry out the demonstration within three years of this award.
“We are excited to work with DOE, NRIC and the amazing team we have put together to evaluate how innovative design methods and technologies can reduce the cost of advanced reactor construction,” said Jon Ball, executive vice president, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. “We know this funding will benefit the commercialization of SMRs significantly and pave the way for other advanced reactors.”
Image: The manufacturing process of the steel bricks
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