TerraPower submits design for approval in UK
Bill Gates-backed nuclear innovation company, TerraPower, has submitted a design for a new type of reactor and energy storage system for regulatory approval in Britain. This would make the UK its first international market, the company announced.
The application was made to the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process, and is the first regulatory step towards its Natrium technology in a global market, the company said.
“We look forward to working with the UK government as we work through the review process,” Chris Levesque, TerraPower president and CEO said. The company said it hopes to identify sites for its reactor in Britain, in cooperation with American engineering firm KBR.
Britain is looking to expand its nuclear power with both large-scale and small modular reactors (SMR). This is part of a bid to decarbonise the energy system and meet an increasing energy demand. Concerns over political opposition, financing, and technical challenges may be some of the hurdles for TerraPower.
The company was co-founded by Bill Gates. It has passed the regulatory requirements in America with its first Natrium plant being constructed. The design uses a 345-megawatt (MW) sodium-cooled fast reactor and a molten salt-based energy storage system. The company claims it is capable of boosting its output to 500MW for over five and a half hours if needed. This would allow for better integration with renewable resources, it said.
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