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13 December 2022
GBP60 million (USD 74m) of UK government funding for research into high-temperature gas reactors, a type of Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR), is intended to help get a demonstration project up and running by the end of the decade.
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(Image: BEIS)
The UK government’s funding announcements on Tuesday also included GBP4 million for the AMR Knowledge Capture Project, which seeks to “facilitate knowledge capture and sharing to reduce the time, risk and cost of program delivery”.
In a briefing document for grant applications published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), it says that for the UK, AMRs are likely to have the following characteristics:
- Use new coolants and/or fuels and typically have higher temperature outputs in the range of 700–950°C (compared to 300°C for light water reactors or 600°C for advanced gas reactors).
- Larger nuclear reactor technology generally has lower power output
- It is likely to be designed in such a way that most of the plant can be built in a factory environment and transported to site, reducing build time and cost.
Following an initial call for evidence, the AMR R&D program focused on high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) technology last year, but BEIS is “not currently aware of any viable full commercial proposals for HTGRs that could be deployed in time. By 2050 the net Current evidence suggests that low technological readiness in terms of potential commercial applications may be one of the reasons for this market failure. BEIS will therefore support a demonstration that will bridge this technology gap and enable HTGR to contribute to the Net Zero 2050 target. Do”.
He adds: “The demonstration, which is to be staged in the UK, should be shaped by end-user needs, and encourage private investment in HTGRs by de-risking the technology. It should aim to put innovation at the heart of its design, License, Manufacture, Build and Application.”
The AMR R&D program phase led to six successful bidders for pre-feed (front end engineering design) studies for reactor performance and fuel performance. Phase B, whose application deadline is March 5, 2023, is described as an “open, competition-based program designed to enter regulatory review, conduct associated research and development activities, and prepare two HTGR FEEDs sufficient to produce robust Delivery plans for possible Phase C” It says that Phase B will be completed in February 2025.
In a separate announcement, the UK government allocated GBP13 million for nuclear fuel fabricator Westinghouse’s Lancashire site, saying it was “of strategic importance to produce fuel for the current UK gas-cooled reactor fleet – the funding will mean the UK has the option to be less dependent on . is imported from abroad and helps the company develop the capacity to produce both reprocessed uranium and freshly mined uranium.”
“As well as boosting the UK’s energy security, ministers hope it will also provide export opportunities for the sector and position the UK as a key international supplier of nuclear fuel and fuel cycle services,” BEIS added.
Tariq Choho, President of Nuclear Fuels at Westinghouse, said: “There is a strong global appetite for diversified and secure sources of fuel and services supply and the UK’s nuclear excellence and experience, particularly at Springfields, offers utilities an attractive option. We are the UK Government Springfield and It is pleased to recognize the role of its workforce as a strategic asset that supports a clean and secure energy future.”
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
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