Westinghouse Electric has submitted its first batch of vendor design review paperwork to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for a microreactor capable of generating up to 5 kilowatts of electricity, the company said Wednesday.
Westinghouse filed four phase 1 submissions with the Canadian regulator June 30, the company said. The Pennsylvania-based company also intends to turn in reports for joint review with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, under a memorandum of cooperation between the regulators, according to a press release issued Wednesday.
Westinghouse envisions its trademarked, factory-built “eVinci Microreactor” as a small mobile nuclear unit to generate heat and electric power suitable for military locations. “The nature of the design will allow the reactor to be rapidly transported to sites as needed to create an abundant and resilient power supply to support advanced defense systems,” according to a Westinghouse fact sheet.
The very small plug-and-play reactor can be loaded upon a tractor trailer, installed onsite within 30 days and go up to eight years without a refueling, according to a Westinghouse video that can be accessed online. Westinghouse said this microreactor would work well for military bases, disaster relief sites and remotely-located mining operations.
“Taking these vital first steps with the regulator marks an important milestone as we successfully accelerate the development of this game-changing technology,” said Jon Ball, Westinghouse’s president for eVinci Microreactor.
