Westinghouse micro-reactor feasible option for Canada, study finds

27 October 2021

The eVinci micro-reactor can provide necessary, clean and cost-competitive energy to decentralised, off-grid markets in Canada, a feasibility report prepared by Bruce Power and Westinghouse has found.

The eVinci heat-pipe reactor is described as a "small battery" in the report (Image: Westinghouse)

The report comes a year after the two companies agreed to explore applications of Westinghouse's eVinci technology programme within Canada. A 12-page executive summary, providing a market overview of opportunities for the deployment of the reactor in Canada, its benefits and opportunities, has been shared by the companies. The document also considers the key federal, provincial, and territorial policy and regulatory enablers needed for its deployment.

The eVinci micro-reactor is described in the report as a "small battery" for decentralised generation markets and for micro grids, such as remote communities, remote industrial mines and critical infrastructure. The nominal 5 MWe heat pipe reactor, which has a heat capability of 14 MWt, features a design that Westinghouse says provides competitive and resilient power as well as superior reliability with minimal maintenance. It is small enough to allow for standard transportation methods, making it perfectly suited for remote locations and rapid, on-site deployment. These features, the company says, make it a viable option for mines and remote and off-grid communities.

A single eVinci micro-reactor is expected to be between 14% and 44% more economic than a diesel generator, depending upon the price of diesel fuel and the price for carbon, and in mining scenarios, such a unit - with diesel back-up - could reduce carbon emissions by about 90%, the report notes in its key takeaways.

Successful deployment would depend on achieving a regulatory model that considers the unit's size and has a predictable outcome, to reduce risk to operations at the host site, it finds. Westinghouse applied in February 2018 to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for a pre-licensing vendor design review of the eVinci. The report estimates that the first commercial unit in Canada "should be licensed within three years," but adds that broad public and host community acceptance will be essential to reactor deployment.

The study concludes that the eVinci micro-reactor represents a "feasible alternative" to diesel generation at mines and in remote communities, where it can provide opportunities to reduce or eliminate dependence on expensive diesel generation with a more economic option that also reduces emissions. The reduced cost electricity and heating provided by the reactor can also provide opportunities for economic growth.

"The strong partnership between Bruce Power and Westinghouse has set the stage for the deployment of a leading eVinci micro-reactor programme within Canada, to provide a reliable source of carbon-free energy in grid-edge and off-grid communities," it says. "These efforts support actions by the federal and provincial governments to study applications for nuclear technology to reach their goal of a net-zero Canada by 2050."

Mike Shaqqo, senior vice president for advanced reactors at Westinghouse, said the Canadian government's Small Modular Reactor Roadmap had set out the opportunity for nuclear energy to support the country’s decarbonisation goals in remote, off-grid communities. "The feasibility study shows the unique features and advantages of eVinci micro-reactor make it the right solution, including a small footprint, mobility, flexibility, lifespan and cost," he said.

"The nuclear industry is a leader in addressing global challenges, and Bruce Power is committed to decarbonising our economy and helping Canada achieve net-zero emissions by 2050," said Heather Kleb, director of next generation nuclear technology at Bruce Power. "Nuclear energy is a clean, reliable source of baseload power, and the industry is evolving further with new technologies, such as the eVinci micro reactor, that will expand its clean energy impact."

New Brunswick fast reactor operational 'within the decade'

07 October 2021

A 2029 start-up for an ARC-100 advanced small modular reactor in New Brunswick is an "aggressive" but achievable target, the CEO of ARC Clean Energy Canada said yesterday. Bill Labbe was speaking at an event hosted by the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI), held as the company prepares to begin the second phase of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's Vendor Design Review (VDR) process.

ARC, along with NB Power and Moltex Energy, is part of an SMR vendor 'cluster' established in New Brunswick in 2020 with the aim of establishing an SMR supply chain in the province and deploying SMRs at NB Power's existing Point Lepreau site, which is currently home to a 660 MWe (net) Candu 6 reactor. The Government of New Brunswick earlier this year announced CAD20 million (USD16 million) in funding towards the advancement of the ARC-100 sodium-cooled fast reactor. The Government of Canada has also this year announced funding to advance the design of Moltex's Stable Salt Reactor - Wasteburner and WAste to Stable Salt (WATSS) facility, and has also announced funding for NB Power to prepare the Point Lepreau site for SMR deployment and demonstration, and to the University of New Brunswick to expand its capacity to support SMR technology development.

Also speaking at the OCNI event were Andy Hayward, director of advanced reactor development at NB Power, and Bill Cooper, vice-president of engineering at ARC, as well as New Brunswick Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development Mike Holland. The event was chaired by OCNI President and CEO Ron Oberth.

The ARC-100 is a 100 MWe fast reactor that leverages proven technology developed at the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR II) sodium-cooled fast-reactor, which was developed at the US government's Argonne National Laboratory where it operated successfully for thirty years. The inherent safety characteristics and passive safety features of this design have already been proven, Hayward said. Currently, activities are focusing on preliminary design work, the VDR process, and development and preparation work at Point Lepreau, as well as progressing supply chain activities and First Nations and public engagement.

The timeline for ARC-100 commercialisation has been "accelerating", Labbe said. The first - Scoping - phase was completed in 2019; the second phase - Preliminary Design, which includes the second VDR phase, the completion of preliminary design work, validation of cost estimates and integrated schedule, as well as scoping fuel supply and manufacturing capabilities - is now under way and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Phase 3, which will include completion of the detailed engineering, procurement orders, construction permit licensing and approval, site preparation work and the execution of a construction contract, is scheduled to run until 2026.

The final - deployment - phase will run from 2027-2030, according to the timeline, and the company expects the first core to be delivered on site by the end of 2028, Labbe said. "I haven't seen anything in our schedule yet that moves us beyond [a 2029 operational date]", he added. "It's really coming down to a resource constraint at this point. Those are the types of things that we can manage."

"The other part is the regulatory approval. We need to have good quality documents, good discussions, good interface with regulatory agencies, and we need to make sure we provide them with everything that they need so that they can make decisions in a timely manner. That's a piece that's a little bit out of our control, but we can certainly set that stage very well with what we deliver, and that will enable our schedule to progress."

"We are in an envious position in New Brunswick, with the support of the New Brunswick government, a utility that has a long history of operating nuclear power plants, and a technology that's very mature and well proven," Cooper said. "This is an exciting time for SMRs and we don't have any obstacles in front of us that we can't get through to have one of these units up and running within the decade."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News