Description
This program is intended to facilitate the development of U.S. private industry advanced nuclear reactor demonstrations. It will provide funding for several advanced reactors that are reliable, cost effective, licensable, and commercially viable. These designs are expected to enable a market environment in which commercial reactor services are available that are safe and affordable to both construct and operate when compared to competing, alternative sources of energy in the near- and mid-term. These designs are expected to provide significant improvements in safety, security, economics, and environmental impacts over current nuclear power plant designs. As a part of its mission, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) has a long and successful history of working with the domestic nuclear industry, national laboratories, and academia to support the development of advanced reactor designs and capabilities over a continuum of technology maturity levels. DOE currently supports research and development (R&D) activities for a variety of advanced reactor technologies that are expected to improve on the safety, security, economics, and/or environmental impacts of current nuclear power plant designs. DOE undertakes these activities in support of the Administration’s objectives to maintain the Nation’s technological leadership position in the global nuclear industry and ensure national energy security. DOE recognizes that work remains to ensure continued U.S. leadership in the research, design, and development of advanced reactors and to ensure the successful deployment of these reactors in the U.S. and international marketplaces. As part of the FY2020 Further Consolidation Appropriations Act, (H.R. 1865), Congress has provided funding for NE to address advanced reactor development at various stages of the technology maturity continuum. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is comprised of three separate pathways. The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) has a goal of focusing DOE and non-federal resources (through cost shared agreements with industry) on the actual construction of real demonstration reactors that are safe and affordable to build in the near- to mid-term. ARDP identifies two separate pathways to meet this goal: 1) Advanced Reactor Demonstrations, which supports two reactor designs to be operational in 5-7 years; and, 2) Risk Reduction for Future Demonstration awards which supports 2-5 additional diverse advanced reactor designs that have a commercialization horizon that is approximately 5 years longer than the Advanced Reactor Demonstrations. A third path, identified in H.R. 1865, Advanced Reactor Concepts – 20, will support development of at least two new public-private partnership awards focused on advancing reactor designs toward the demonstration phase; these have a commercialization horizon that is approximately 5 years longer than the Risk Reduction for Future Demonstration awards.