PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than a dozen U.S. and Canadian utility representatives met with NuScale Power at its Corvallis, Oregon office for the small modular reactor developer’s semi-annual Customer Advisory Board (CAB) meeting.

Comprised of 20 member companies, including the owners and operations of more than half of the U.S. operating fleet of 104 commercial nuclear power plants, NuScale’s CAB meeting attendees were provided an extensive update on NuScale’s technical, regulatory and commercial status.

Highlights of the meeting included:

• Touring the one-fourth-scale AP1000 prototype test facility and the adjacent one-third-scale NuScale SMR prototype test facility. Some of the attendees who were visiting NuScale for the first time commented at the remarkable simplicity of the NuScale prototype versus the complexity of the AP1000.
• Performing operating and shutdown actions for a NuScale SMR using the company’s first-of-its-kind control room simulator. The simulator models the operation of a 540 MWe nuclear power plant using 12 NuScale SMR modules.

With more than 200 people engaged in the development of the NuScale technology, one attendee noted that NuScale’s design team has continued to make significant advances since the last time the CAB gathered in July 2012, and commended NuScale for its extensive early engagement with the NRC on licensing issues.

NuScale anticipates their CAB membership to continue to grow, as three additional utilities have expressed interest in attending the next meeting scheduled during the summer.

About NuScale Power, LLC

NuScale Power is designing a nuclear steam supply system and nuclear power plant that offers the benefits of nuclear power but takes away the issues presented by installing large capacity. The NuScale design is for a modular, scalable Light Water Reactor (LWR) nuclear power plant system. A nuclear power plant using NuScale’s technology is comprised of individual NSSS modules. Each produces 45 megawatts with its own combined containment vessel and reactor system, and its own designated turbine-generator set. A power plant can include as many as 12 NuScale integral PWR modules to produce as much as 540 megawatts. NuScale nuclear power plants are scalable – additional modules are added as customer demand for electricity increases. These multi-module plants are highly reliable – one unit can be taken out of service for refueling or maintenance, or a new unit added, without affecting the operation of the others.