We are pleased to report that development of the HI-TEST facility (pictured below), designed to quantify performance margins in the SMR-300 plant for potential future power uprating, is advancing steadily with fabrication of key test components and preparations for facility installation underway. At 65 feet high, tall enough to be visible from a distance in downtown Idaho Falls on the INL campus, this test facility is a nominally 1/3rd scale representation of the SMR-300 plant. As would be expected, it is a voracious consumer of electricity, requiring substantially more electric power than the Lab’s installed capacity, forcing them to bring additional power from across the nearby highway. The test facility will serve to probe the SMR-300 design margin under both steady state and transient conditions to provide a physical corroboration of the plant’s generation capacity, resilience, and operability. The Company has expanded the facility’s test plan to include a larger menu of system operating modes than initially envisaged.
The SMR-300 critical components and their integrated performance have already been qualified by Holtec’s extensive repertoire of state-of-the-art computational tools. Based on proven Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) technology, representing over 70% of today’s nuclear operating fleet, the SMR-300 design has benefited from droves of prior validation testing and operating data that has enabled performance validation of the SMR-300 design without the need for new testing. As an example of the extensive computer simulation work performed for the SMR-300 design, Holtec’s analysis team performed a full 3D simulation of the steam generator to model performance under a range of operating conditions, including start-up, normal operation, and shut-down scenarios. These modern simulation tools detail all major subcomponents of the equipment with approximately 80 million data points, a scale and fidelity only achievable with today’s modern analysis tools. This massive data set allows all aspects of the design to be validated and optimized for performance and manufacturability before building a single component.
Holtec’s HI-TEST facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) will provide additional performance data for defense-in-depth design validation in the HI-TEST scale-model facility. With a conservative design approach for the initial licensing at Holtec’s Pioneer 1&2 project in Michigan, Holtec expects test data to be used to support future power uprates of the SMR-300 plant by taking advantage of large design margins that can be credited to increase power output through a future license amendment.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future uprates of Holtec’s SMR. Forward-looking statements involve risks, contingencies, and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. The forward-looking statements in this post speak only as of the date of this post. We undertake no obligation to update these statements unless required by law, and we caution you not to place undue reliance on them.
About Holtec
Holtec is a U.S.-headquartered, multinational technology company focused on clean energy, with its principal business centered on nuclear power generation and an expanding presence in adjacent clean energy generation solutions and long-duration energy storage. The Company is the owner/developer of the SMR-300 advanced small modular reactor featuring passive safety systems, and currently expects the first two units to be deployed at the Company-owned Palisades site in Michigan. Holtec is also refurbishing the Palisades nuclear power plant, which would be the first commercial nuclear reactor in the United States to be repowered after permanent shutdown. Holtec is the NRC-authorized Operator for the Palisades plant.
The Company’s business profile is distinguished by the ownership of nearly 220 granted patents, a substantial portfolio of proprietary technologies and trade secrets, three large U.S.-based manufacturing facilities for nuclear fabrication and operations on five continents. The Company has provided products and services to a client base of more than 150 nuclear reactors worldwide. Holtec’s technical capabilities include reactor design, reactor operations, engineering, licensing, manufacturing, construction, commissioning, and decommissioning services. As such, Holtec believes that it is well-positioned to help catalyze the growth of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. and around the world. The Company is also expanding its activities in solar energy and long-duration energy storage technologies intended to enhance renewable energy reliability and complement its SMR-300 product line.
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