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NuScale Power has secured the final safety evaluation report (FSER) from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its small modular reactor (SMR).
The FSER was released by the NRC after completing Phase 6 review, which is the last and final phase of Design Certification Application (DCA).
By obtaining the FSER, NuScale aims to bring its SMR technology to market this decade.
NuScale chairman and CEO John Hopkins said: “This is a significant milestone not only for NuScale, but also for the entire US nuclear sector and the other advanced nuclear technologies that will follow. This clearly establishes the leadership of NuScale and the US in the race to bring SMRs to market.
“The approval of NuScale’s design is an incredible accomplishment and we would like to extend our deepest thanks to the NRC for their comprehensive review, to the US Department of Energy (DOE) for its continued commitment to our successful private-public partnership to bring the country’s first SMR to market, and to the many other individuals who have dedicated countless hours to make this extraordinary moment a reality.”
NuScale noted that the DCA was completed in December 2016 and accepted by the NRC in March 2017.
With the backing of Fluor, NuScale is reported to have spent more than $500m and over two million labour hours for developing the information needed to prepare its DCA application.
The company has also submitted 14 separate Topical Reports in addition to the more than 12,000 pages for its DCA application.
Furthermore, it presented more than two million pages of supporting information for NRC audits.