The facility contains a prototype of the B&W mPower reactor that will undergo testing to collect data to verify the reactor’s design and safety performance in support of Generation mPower’s ongoing licensing activities with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Located at the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research at the New London Business & Technology Center, IST facility supports further development of the B&W mPower reactor technology that represents a new generation of smaller, scalable nuclear power plants.
The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission provided about $7m in grants to support construction of the facility and the purchase of process equipment.
B&W Nuclear Energy president and the Board of Generation mPower chairman Christofer Mowry said Generation mPower is working to meet a need for a reliable, carbon-free power source that can be deployed at a new site or replace an aging facility in North America or overseas.
The multi-year testing program is scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of this year.
Generation mPower is an alliance between B&W and the construction firm Bechtel.
