A next-gen version of nuclear power is one step closer after two American companies announced a partnership to help bolster the safety of small modular reactor technology.
Dallas Innovates reported on the agreement between Fort Worth-based Paragon Energy Solutions and Oregon-based NuScale Power. NuScale holds the distinction of being the only SMR nuclear technology provider that has received design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Paragon, meanwhile, specializes in safety products like its CoreVision Neutron Monitoring System technology and Highly Integrated Protection System that will be incorporated into NuScale's SMR tech and forthcoming energy plants.
NuScale is bullish about its future. Company CEO John Hopkins pointed to the Trump administration's recent supportive steps as well as approval of a 77-megawatt module as reasons for optimism, according to UtilityDive. The company expects to have a few customers finalized by the end of 2025.
Paragon says CoreVision will grant NuScale "reliable, accurate, and modernized monitoring and control of reactor power levels," per Dallas Innovates. The HIPS is tailored to SMRs and will safeguard instrumentation and control systems with reliable, cyber-secure protection.
Nuclear fission, while imperfect, holds several advantages over dirty energy. As Robert Hayes, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at North Carolina State University, detailed, it isn't completely safe, but its risk level pales in comparison to coal and other energy sources.
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SMRs add energy flexibility to the nuclear fission mix, as they are smaller and more flexible. That provides an avenue for areas that don't have sites for large plants and adds efficiencies through a modular design.
The passive systems, low power and operating pressure, and decreased reliance on external power or human intervention increase safety margins and reduce the chances of unsafe radioactivity releases, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
They can also be paired with clean energy systems like wind and solar to kick in more prominently in times of lower power generation, per the IAEA. Still, there are concerns about their safety, as expressed by Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
That hasn't stopped a raft of projects in Canada, at universities in the U.S., and from aspiring companies.
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I'd be excited 😀 NuScale CEO John Hopkins expressed confidence that the partnership will bear fruit soon.
"Paragon will provide key monitoring and protection capabilities … as we prepare for near-term deployment and for bringing safe, always-on energy to users around the world," Hopkins declared.
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