The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved NuScale Power LLC’s US460 small modular reactor design, the NRC said on May 29.
“This completes the NRC’s technical review ahead of schedule and under budget, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to safely and efficiently enable new, advanced reactor technology,” it said.
NuScale’s application for standard design approval of the US460 small modular reactor design was accepted for NRC review in July 2023.
The standard design approval is based upon NRC staff’s final safety evaluation report, issued May 28.
The NuScale US460 is a 77-megawatt-per-module SMR, which is based, in part, on the NuScale US600 design certified by the NRC in 2023.
The US460 design continues to use natural “passive” processes such as convection and gravity in its operating systems and safety features.
The US460’s six modules, producing a total of approximately 460 megawatts of electricity, are all partially immersed in a safety-related pool built below ground level.
A standard design approval indicates that a proposed reactor design meets applicable agency safety requirements.
Companies that seek to use the US460 design would have to file applications seeking permission to build and operate a nuclear reactor using the approved design.
