Utility invests USD10 million in advanced reactor feasibility study

State polices requiring a "substantial increase" in clean electricity are leading utilities to evaluate potential sources of new clean energy generation, Energy Northwest said. New nuclear energy technologies, such as advanced SMRs, are approaching commercial readiness and feature enhanced safety systems; simplified, standardised, and scalable designs; and the ability to both swiftly integrate with renewables and provide around-the-clock electricity without producing any greenhouse gas emissions, it added.

The USD10 million that Puget Sound Energy has agreed to invest in the programme will supplement some USD10 million contributed to date by Energy Northwest and supporting entities, which includes nearly USD1 million of combined investment from 17 other public utilities.

"As we decarbonise the electric grid, it is increasingly evident new sources of carbon-free, reliable, and affordable electricity must be deployed - and advanced nuclear energy technology can play a vital role in this transition," said Energy Northwest CEO Bob Schuetz. "Energy Northwest's partnership with Puget Sound Energy underscores our shared commitment to address the climate challenge and meet the region's future clean energy needs with the help of new and innovative carbon-free nuclear energy technologies."

"Our clean energy future depends on finding reliable resources that produce energy when customers need it without emitting greenhouse gases," said Mary Kipp, president and CEO of Puget Sound Energy. "Advanced nuclear technology has the potential to be that resource."

The Xe-100 SMR is an 80 MWe high-temperature gas cooled reactor which uses TRISO (tristructural isotropic) particle fuel. A joint development agreement signed in July between Energy Northwest and X-Energy Reactor Company envisages the deployment of up to 12 Xe-100 units at a site adjacent to the existing Columbia nuclear power plant, with the first module expected to be online by 2030.

Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency set up by the state legislature in 1957, with 28 public power member utilities serving more than 1.5 million customers. It owns and operates the region's only nuclear power plant, the Columbia Generating Station, as well as solar, hydroelectric and wind generating facilities and a battery energy storage system. Puget Sound Energy owns over 3500 MWe of generating capacity, including hydroelectric, wind and thermal plants.

Washington is committed to making its electricity supply completely free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, under a law signed in 2019.