Westinghouse Electric, a nuclear energy company, will team up with Burns &McDonnell an engineering and construction services firm, and General Dynamics Electric Boat to support the design and deployment of the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor (SMR)for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SMR Funding Opportunity.
The Westinghouse SMR, a 225 MWe integral pressurized water reactor (PWR), includes all primary components inside the reactor vessel. It uses passive safety systems, advanced components and modular construction techniques. The Westinghouse SMR will be installed at Callaway Energy Center of Ameren Missouri.
The most potential and promising SMR projects will be granted the DOE SMR investment funds. The cost-share agreements will offer a total investment of about $900 million, with a minimum of 50% provided by private sector. On May 18, 2012, Westinghouse submitted application for its SMR project to the DOE on behalf of the NexStart SMR Alliance led by Ameren Missouri. The collaboration with Burns & McDonnell and Electric Boat will further provide additional support for the project.
Burns & McDonnell will deliver engineering and architectural services for designing the power systems of the Westinghouse SMR.Electric Boat will provide modular design support by using its expertise gained in the design and manufacturing of nuclear-powered submarines for over 60 years. The company’s capability in modular design will help to achieve factory-build efficiencies, which are never attained earlier in nuclear energy deployment.