In July 2019, U-Battery completed the first stage of the evaluation process in Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’s (CNL) invitation to site a first-of-a-kind small small modular reactor (SMR) in Chalk River, Ontario. The U-Battery demonstration project will advance CNL’s mandate to be recognised globally as a leader in SMR prototype testing and science and technology support.
The Government of Canada’s SMR policy document, A Call to Action: A Canadian Roadmap for Small Modular Reactors, was released in late 2018 and identified the need to establish a demonstration site for SMRs at one or more locations in Canada. The roadmap recommended that Canada should be making strategic investments to capitalise on SMR opportunities, as “early-mover advantage will be critical to capturing global market share.”
U-Battery has established a service agreement with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for pre-licensing phase 1 vendor design review, as well as a memorandum of understanding with Bruce Power for design review and feasibility services. Combined, these agreements will help ensure that U-Battery’s design is well-positioned to meet regulatory and feasibility requirements as well as Canadian codes and standards as it works towards commercial deployment.
