Extra: Terrestrial

Another indicator of spiked investment in nuclear energy

Recent filings from major energy companies provide substantial hints as to which way the wind is blowing when it comes to investment in certain energy sources. In this case, another step was taken toward building a new nuclear plant.

Terrestrial Energy Inc., a leader in Generation IV molten salt nuclear plants supplying electricity and high-temperature industrial heat, confirmed that it has submitted its Thermal and Electric Facility (TEF) Topical Report to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), according to an October 7 press release.

If approved, the TEF, which houses the generators, turbines, and steam supply systems of the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) Plant, could be customized for each site and built and operated ahead of the plant’s nuclear construction permit and operating license.

The company's top executive further explained the importance of these stages of approval:

“This submission can change how an IMSR Plant is regulated, built and financed,” said Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy. “With its NRC approval, only the nuclear portion of the plant would follow the nuclear licensing timeline. The rest of the plant would become a conventional industrial project, giving customers earlier power and heat and giving financing partners a bankable construction phase. As this pathway applies to every IMSR Plant, it is a fleet-wide advantage, not a one-off exemption.”

The IMSR Plant is designed in two discrete parts: the Nuclear Facility (NF), containing standardized and modular nuclear systems, and the TEF, containing non-nuclear heat transfer, steam supply and electric systems for commercial power generation and thermal energy supply.

With NRC approval, the TEF could enter commercial service ahead of the NF, using an auxiliary heat source such as natural gas as a bridge to nuclear power.