The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative awarded two vouchers to NuScale Power and Metatomic Energy to support the development of their small modular reactor and spent nuclear fuel conversion technologies.
September 26, 2023
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Washington, D.C. – The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative awarded two vouchers today to NuScale Power and Metatomic Energy to support the development of their small modular reactor and spent nuclear fuel conversion technologies. The two companies will leverage the expertise and research capabilities at Oak Ridge and Savannah River national laboratories to further advance their projects toward commercialization.
NuScale Power (Corvallis, Oregon) will work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to assess the company’s VOYGR power plant’s heat augmentation system to determine the best ways of coupling their advanced light-water small modular reactors with chemical plants.
The chemical industry requires a large heat supply at high temperatures which is currently provided at commercial-scale by fossil fuels. The study will help determine the requirements and cost-effectiveness of leveraging the VOGYR power plant’s system.
Metatomic Inc. (Greenville, South Carolina) will work with Savannah River National Laboratory to begin to demonstrate their newly developed process to convert today’s commercial spent nuclear fuel into fuel for molten salt fast reactors. The data will be used to assess the feasibility of the system to provide fuel for a molten salt reactor and how to scale up their process at an industrial scale.
The U.S. generates about 2,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel each year. Metatomic's process could help lower the amount of spent fuel needed for permanent disposal by recycling it for new reactor technologies.
GAIN voucher recipients do not receive direct financial awards. The vouchers provide funding to DOE national laboratories to help businesses overcome critical technological and commercialization challenges. All awardees are responsible for a minimum 20 percent cost share, which could be an in-kind contribution.
GAIN was established by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy and provides the nuclear community with the technical, regulatory, and financial support necessary to move innovative nuclear technologies toward commercialization while ensuring the continued, safe, and economic operation of the existing fleet.
This is the fourth round of GAIN vouchers awarded for FY 2023.
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