Nuclear

Canada invests in Westinghouse micro nuclear reactor

Canada is investing $27 million to support Westinghouse’s eVinci micro-reactor so the $57 million project can be licensed in the country.
Canada invests in Westinghouse micro nuclear reactor
(Source: Westinghouse Nuclear).

Canada is investing C$27 million ($21.35 million) to support Westinghouse’s next generation small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), so the C$57 million ($45.1 million) project can be licensed in the country.

Westinghouse is currently developing the eVinci micro-reactor, which aims to balance resilient power with minimal maintenance, particularly in remote locations. 

Westinghouse touts the micro-reactor’s solid core and advanced heat pipes, which enable passive core heat extraction and allow for autonomous operation and load following capabilities. The reactor is designed to provide up to 5 MWe of combined heat and power.

According to the company, other benefits of eVinci include an easily transportable generator; a 40-year design life with three-plus year refueling interval; and a target of less than 30 days of on-site installation.

Westinghouse and Canadian nuclear operator Bruce Power have been studying the economic and environmental applications of the eVinci technology. The partners announced an agreement in October 2020 to pursue an eVinci micro reactor program within Canada.

This latest announcement is intended to support Canada’s SMR Action Plan, which would facilitate teamwork including governmental, provincial, indigenous, local, power utilities, industrial, research laboratories and more in making more affordable, smaller footprint nuclear energy possible.

U.S. action

In December, Westinghouse announced that it had filed a pre-application Regulatory Engagement Plan with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), detailing the planned pre-licensing application interactions for the eVinci micro-reactor. More than a year earlier, eVinci was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Project Pele, a mobile nuclear reactor prototyping program.

In earlier development of eVinci, Westinghouse received $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) for the development of a self-regulating solid core block (SCB) that employs solid materials to inherently self-regulate the reaction rate in a nuclear reactor. The development of the SCB is seen as a key component of Westinghouse’s eVinci micro reactor concept.

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