TerraPower Signs MOU with Chinese Nuclear Organization

TerraPower and the China National Nuclear Corp. have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly complete the traveling wave reactor (TWR) design and commercialize the technology, the company announced yesterday.  The MOU, according to the Washington-based nuclear reactor design specialist, “will speed technology development, promote clean energy growth, and enable global economic growth in both countries.” TerraPower is working on a TWR design intended to close the nuclear loop. Current reactors operate in an open loop, in which spent fuel and radioactive waste byproducts cannot be reused. However, TWRs reprocess these wastes by using waves that breed and then burn the fuel over and over again within the reactor. “Today, this MOU represents our first step on a journey that promises to yield tremendous benefits for all of us,” TerraPower CEO Lee McIntire said in a statement. “The TerraPower-CNNC collaboration on advanced nuclear technology aims to benefit the world by pioneering new options in civilian nuclear energy that address safety, environmental and cost concerns.”