South Korea's Doosan Enerbility has begun the forging production process for the first module that will be deployed as part of a NuScale VOYGR-6 small modular reactor (SMR) power plant for the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) in the USA.
Forging of parts for the NuScale SMR under way at a Doosan facility (Image: NuScale)
Announcing the milestone on social media, NuScale Power said: "The first pours of molten steel represent a significant breakthrough into the manufacturing phase for NuScale, Doosan and the SMR industry".
NuScale placed its first upper reactor pressure vessel (RPV) long-lead material production order with Doosan Enerbility at the end of 2022.
Doosan Enerbility - under its former name of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction - in 2019 signed a business collaboration agreement with NuScale for the supply of NuScale Power Modules and other equipment. Together with Korean financial investors, the company has made an equity investment of nearly USD104 million in NuScale Power.
In preparation for the long-lead materials order, the two companies initiated an effort in April 2022 to complete the manufacturing for the forging dies for the upper RPV. The order placed in December builds on this, and includes heavy forgings, steam generator tubes, and weld material for six upper RPVs. The total estimated weight of the materials for six upper RPVs is more than 2000 tonnes, NuScale said.
The CFPP is to be built at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory site near Idaho Falls and will use six of NuScale's 77 MWe power modules to generate 462 MWe of electricity. The plant could begin operations as soon as 2029, and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, a political subdivision of the state of Utah, is working to submit an application for a construction and operation licence to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in January 2024.
