Ultra Safe Nuclear Brings U-Battery Talent Into Its UK Advanced Modular Reactor Team
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), the global leader in the deployment of gas-cooled reactors, is pleased to announce the addition of key UK personnel to its team supporting the Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) programme funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The move by USNC takes advantage of the recent availability of personnel from the U-Battery Team and effectively doubles the size of its UK Team (USNC-UK, Ltd) underscoring the global importance of the AMR programme and supporting and augmenting the UK expertise needed to realize the programme’s benefits as intended by the UK Government.
USNC-UK is building on USNC’s leading product, the Micro-Modular Reactor (MMR®), to develop an advanced Micro-Modular Reactor design that will be best suited to the UK’s industrial process heat and power needs. The MMR-III will be a high power version of USNC’s flagship MMR, capable of producing 750°C heat and specifically designed to be utilized in multi-unit “nuclear battery packs” at industrial sites.
The MMR-III aligns particularly well with emerging demands in the UK and globally for hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. Setting it apart from other designs, the use of proprietary Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM®) fuel, helium coolant and the large heat storage unit will deliver unmatched safety, simplicity and flexibility of use, while ensuring the heat generation and heat utilization systems remain clean in all circumstances, eliminating the nuclear contamination risk for industrial production facilities.
“This is a great opportunity to move forward for the talented experts on the team in the face of an otherwise challenging situation,” said Prof. Tim Abram, former Head of Engineering and Design Authority for the U-Battery project, who joins the USNC-UK team together with other key former members of the U-Battery team. “We are proud of the contributions made to HTGR technology in the UK by the U-Battery project, and the team are looking forward to carrying on their mission with Ultra Safe Nuclear, the world’s leading microreactor team.”
“The UK is a must-have market, the ideal launch pad for the global deployment of our industrial-grade high-temperature nuclear batteries” said Francesco Venneri, CEO of Ultra Safe Nuclear. “The UK has deep roots in the relevant gas-cooled nuclear reactor technologies, exemplified by the current AGR reactors and tracing back to Dragon, the very first helium-cooled high-temperature reactor utilizing TRISO fuel. We are tapping into these roots by adding the best, most experienced and motivated UK talent to our team.”
About Ultra Safe Nuclear
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), a U.S. company headquartered in Seattle (WA), is a global leader and strong vertical integrator of nuclear technologies and services, on Earth and in Space. The company produces the Micro-Modular™ reactor (MMR®), TRISO-based Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM®) nuclear fuel, and develops nuclear power and propulsion technologies for space exploration.
The company has active micro reactor deployment projects in Canada at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Chalk River, and in the United States at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Additional units are in development in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
USNC is committed to opening new markets around the world for safe, commercially competitive, power and heat from nuclear energy. Ultra Safe Nuclear is Reliable Zero-Carbon Energy. Anywhere.
Media Contact
Brian Meeley
b.meeley@usnc.com
703.282.0691