GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has officially started the regulatory licensing process for its BWRX-300 reactor design. On 30 December, the company submitted the first licensing topical report for the small modular reactor to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Highlights
Will be price competitive with natural gas
Small Reactor projects will be $1-2 billion instead of $10+ billion for large reactors
The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe SMR derived from GEH’s 1520 MWe Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design. According to GEH, the BWRX-300 leverages the design and licensing basis of the ESBWR, which received design certification from the NRC in 2014.
It will leverage the existing ESBWR design certification, and uses licensed and proven nuclear fuel designs, incorporating proven components and supply chains, and implementing simplification innovations, the BWRX-300 can, become cost-competitive with power generation from combined cycle gas plants and renewable energy platforms.