Westinghouse forms alliance to get DOE SMR funding

Press release below from Westinghouse Electric.

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Westinghouse, Burns & McDonnell and Electric Boat Collaborate in Applying for DOE SMR Funding Opportunity


ARLINGTON, Va., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Westinghouse Electric Company, Burns & McDonnell and General Dynamics Electric Boat will collaboratively team to support the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor (SMR) application for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Modular Reactor Funding Opportunity.

Michael Anness, SMR product manager at Westinghouse Electric Company, announced the teaming arrangement today at the Platts SMR conference in Arlington, Va. "We are very pleased to welcome Burns & McDonnell and Electric Boat as members of our vendor team to support the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor design effort, and the ultimate deployment of a Westinghouse SMR at Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center," said Anness. "We feel that this collaboration is an excellent fit for the team and will tremendously enhance our capabilities to provide licensing, construction and operational certainty that no other U.S. SMR supplier applying for DOE investment funds can match."

"Developing and building these next-generation reactors is a transformative opportunity to create jobs and grow Missouri's economy, and we're thrilled that Missouri-based Burns & McDonnell will be playing an important role in this partnership," Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said. "Westinghouse's application has unequivocal support from the state of Missouri, all of our electric-utility providers, labor organizations, and our powerhouse research universities. Adding a world-class engineering firm like Burns & McDonnell to the team only makes our application stronger. We are extremely pleased that Westinghouse has turned to this landmark Missouri company for this pivotal role on the architectural and engineering team."

Department of Energy (DOE) SMR investment funds will be awarded to SMR projects that have the most potential and promise to be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and achieve commercial operation by 2022. The cost-share agreements will span a five-year period and, subject to Congressional appropriations, provide a total investment of approximately $900 million, with at least 50 percent provided by private industry. Westinghouse submitted its application to the DOE last Friday, May 18, on behalf of the Ameren Missouri-led NexStart SMR Alliance. The addition of Electric Boat and Burns & McDonnell to the Westinghouse team will further support and provide additional confidence to the Westinghouse SMR Project in its pursuit of the DOE funding opportunity.

Burns & McDonnell, Missouri's oldest and largest engineering firm will provide architectural and engineering support to design the power systems of the class-leading 225 MWe Westinghouse SMR. The company's more than 110 years of experience with all generation types includes an expansive and broad wealth of knowledge and expertise in new plant design, existing plant upgrades, operating plant issues, and design and analysis of myriad complex systems.

Electric Boat has joined the Westinghouse-led team to provide modular design support, leveraging the expertise attained over more than 60 years of nuclear-powered submarine design and manufacturing to the benefit of commercial nuclear programs. Electric Boat's specialized expertise in modular design will facilitate the achievement of factory-build efficiencies never before seen in nuclear energy deployment.

The Westinghouse SMR is a 225 MWe integral pressurized water reactor (PWR), with all primary components located inside of the reactor vessel. It utilizes passive safety systems and proven components, as well as modular construction techniques – all realized and already licensed in the nuclear industry-leading AP1000® reactor - to achieve the highest level of safety and reduced number of components required. Westinghouse believes that this proven approach will provide licensing, construction and operational certainty that no other SMR supplier can match with competitive economics. For more information about the Westinghouse SMR, visit www.westinghousenuclear.com/smr/index.htm.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation (TKY:6502), is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants.

Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is a 100 percent employee-owned, full-service engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting services firm. Burns & McDonnell is currently the 23rd largest AEC firm in the Engineering News-Record Top 500 ranking. The firm is among the leaders in many categories, including the No. 2 ranked firm in the Transmission & Distribution category. With the multidisciplinary expertise of more than 3,400 professionals in more than 30 regional, national and international offices, Burns & McDonnell plans, designs, permits, constructs and manages facilities worldwide with one mission in mind: to make its clients successful.

More information about General Dynamics is available on the Internet at www.gdeb.com.

SOURCE Westinghouse Electric Company

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This move certainly puts Westinghouse on an even footing with the Generation mPower team, made up of Babcock & Wilcox and Bechtel Corporation, in the SMR market.

7:55 PM Eastern 5/21/2012
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW

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UPDATE VIA NEI / SmartBrief

This article in the Columbia Daily Tribune gives more background as to the alliance between Ameren and Westinghouse.

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UPDATE

Click here for a very detailed release (and separate pdf file presentation) from Ameren Missouri on the project to build a Westinghouse SMR at Callaway.

Click here for a very useful and detailed APR link list on the project.

8:15 PM 5/21/2012