NuScale Power, a U.S.-based energy firm and the first to receive a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval for its small modular reactors (SMRs), has partnered with South Korean heavy engineering company Doosan Enerbility to source the upper reactor coolant system (URCS) for its reactors. The two companies recently signed an agreement to deploy the URCS in NuScale’s commercial-scale reactors. The demand for clean energy is pushing countries to look back at nuclear energy, which generates on-demand energy without any carbon emissions. Using the lessons from the past, where project delays in building the facility would lead to cost overruns, nuclear energy is poised for a comeback in the form of small modular reactors, built at scale in a factory and assembled on-site. Founded in 2007, Oregon-based NuScale Power is one of the first U.S. companies working to bring this dream into a commercial reality. The company was the first to receive the US NRC approval for its 50-megawatt (MW) design in 2020. More than five years later, it is now building its first commercial-scale plant at a former coal plant in Romania using six modules of its uprated nuclear reactor. The NuScale SMRNuScale’s SMR design is a pressurized water reactor that combines steam generation and heat exchange in the same unit, with each module capable of generating 77 MW of electricity. The company refers to its assembled plant as VOYAGR, and it can comprise four, six, or 12 modules depending on user requirements. A 12-unit plant has a maximum output of 924 MW, while its first installation in Romania will feature six units, giving a total output of 462 MW. The company refers to its assembled plant as VOYAGR, and it can comprise four, six, or 12 modules depending on user requirements. A 12-unit plant has a maximum output of 924 MW, while its first installation in Romania will feature six units, giving a total output of 462 MW. Contract for URCSUnder the new agreement, Doosan will now manufacture the upper reactor coolant system (URCS), an important component of the reactor pressure vessel that holds the coolant under high temperature and pressure. “This contract marks an important step as SMR technology moves from technical validation into actual manufacturing,” said Jongdoo Kim, CEO of Doosan Enerbility’s Nuclear Business Group in a press release. “Drawing on our extensive experience in nuclear manufacturing, Doosan will continue to support NuScale’s commercial projects.” “This agreement is a meaningful step in converting our approved design into deliverable modules,” added John Hopkins, President and CEO of NuScale Power. “Doosan’s nuclear manufacturing facility and the work we have done together since 2019 give us the manufacturing capacity and process maturity we need to deliver NPMs on the schedules our customers require.”As NuScale works to build its first-ever plant in Romania, Doosan will work to add more manufacturing capacity to support the production of reactor modules. The company is also strengthening its supply chain and manufacturing readiness to ensure it can supply components to NuScale in a timely manner.