ARC partners with INL for SMR deployment

The agreement with Battelle Energy Alliance, the laboratory's management and operating contractor, means Idaho National Laboratory (INL) "will bring its full spectrum of nuclear research expertise to bear on the design, demonstration, and deployment of the ARC-100, a 100 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor designed for safe, flexible, and economical operation".

The multi-year framework agreement will see support cover "engineering and design, advanced materials and manufacturing, high-performance computing and modelling, irradiation testing, reactor commissioning and operation, and site development; covering the full lifecycle from detailed design through first-of-a-kind deployment".

The ARC-100 is a sodium-cooled fast reactor with a metallic uranium alloy core. It is designed for both on-grid electricity production and industrial heat applications. The design is based on the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II integral sodium-cooled fast reactor prototype which operated at the Argonne National Laboratory from 1961, finally shutting down in 1994.

Irfan Ali, ARC Clean Technology's President and Chief Strategy Officer, said: "This partnership with Idaho National Laboratory marks a pivotal step in ARC’s mission to bring safe, reliable, advanced nuclear energy to the world. INL's capabilities in reactor design, materials science, and regulatory engagement are unmatched, and we look forward to working alongside their expert teams to demonstrate the promise of our technology."

Jess Gehin, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science & Technology, said: "INL specialises in advanced reactor technologies, and we look forward to supporting ARC as they work toward the first deployment of the ARC-100."

ARC Clean Technology said it believes a successful first deployment at INL "would establish the ARC-100 as a compelling export opportunity, enabling the United States to offer allies and partners a world-class advanced reactor technology, strengthening energy security, deepening strategic relationships, and countering the growing influence of state-sponsored nuclear programmes from geopolitical competitors".

The company has received an award under the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program that promotes accelerated advanced SMR development. INL has also been part of ARC’s team under the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Concepts 2020 Program, with support spanning key areas including fuel design and analysis, Probabilistic Risk Assessment, and regulatory engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Last year the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's pre-licensing vendor design review, which began in 2017, concluded there were no fundamental barriers to licensing the SMR.

Since 2018, ARC and New Brunswick Power (NB Power) have been working together on the development of the ARC-100. In July 2023, NB Power, in partnership with ARC, submitted an environmental impact assessment registration document and an application for a site preparation licence for an SMR at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant site in New Brunswick. The demonstration unit was being targeted for commissioning by 2029, subject to approvals and licensing.