Nuclear

Westinghouse plans 300 MW reactor based on AP1000 design

The design is scaled from the AP1000 reactor and is based on what the company said is an “Nth-of-a-kind” operating plant.  
Westinghouse plans 300 MW reactor based on AP1000 design
(Design concept for AP300 reactor.)

Westinghouse Electric Co. launched the AP300 small modular reactor, a 300-MWe single-loop pressurized water reactor. 

The design is scaled from the AP1000 reactor and is based on what the company said is an “Nth-of-a-kind” operating plant.  

Westinghhouse said the AP300 SMR is an “ultra-compact, modular-constructed unit.” It will use identical AP1000 technology, to include major equipment, structural components, passive safety, fuel, and I&C systems. The reactor is expected to benefit from a mature supply chain, constructability lessons learned, fast load-follow capabilities and proven O&M procedures and best practices from 18 reactor years of AP1000 operations, a press release said. 

The AP300 is designed to operate for an 80+ year life cycle.  

The AP300 SMR design uses Gen III+ advanced technology, which has regulatory approval in the U.S., Great Britain and China, as well as compliance with European Utility Requirements standards for nuclear power plants. The company said the design will be marketed to the utility, oil & gas and industrial sectors. Design certification is anticipated by 2027, followed by site specific licensing and construction on the first unit toward the end of the decade. 

Westinghouse has named Dr. Rita Baranwal, currently Chief Technology Officer, to Senior Vice President in the Energy Services business, to lead the team developing the AP300 SMR. Baranwal is the former Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, with experience as director of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative at Idaho National Lab.

Microreactor

In February, Westinghouse filed a Notice of Intent to submit licensing reports for its eVinci microreactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for joint review. 

The two agencies signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in 2019 to facilitate such technical reviews of advanced nuclear technologies.

Last fall, we visited the Westinghouse research and development facility near Pittsburgh and produced this report on the technology and what we saw.

The report topics for joint review include a common set of key requirements for the classification of systems, structures and components for the eVinci microreactor. This approach is expected to enable deployment of a standard design in both countries. Other topics for review are defining the necessary transportation requirements for shipment of the eVinci microreactor across the border and factory safety testing and inspection programs.

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