TERRESTRIAL ENERGY AND ORANO COMPLETE SUCCESSFUL IMSR FUEL PACKAGING AND TRANSPORTATION EVALUATION

Source: | · WOMEN IN ENERGY TRANSITION · | November 13, 2022

Bethesda, Maryland, and Oakville, Ontario, Canada – November 1, 2022 – Terrestrial Energy has completed a regulatory evaluation of packaging and cross-border transportation of Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR®) nuclear fuel in collaboration with Orano, a global leader in the nuclear fuel cycle.

This work demonstrates that nuclear fuel packaging used by Orano today to service the nuclear industry is suitable for the transportation and supply of IMSR® fuel. The scope of the evaluation covered compliant packaging and transportation for Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and selected EU countries. This outcome avoids the costly and lengthy process of developing, licensing and manufacturing new nuclear fuel packaging and has important commercial implications for early deployment of IMSR® plants in key markets.

Packaging and transportation of nuclear reactor fuel are subject to strict regulatory requirements that ensure safety and protect property and the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and regional governmental authorities have established regulations for the safe and secure handling of radioactive material. The regulations are administered in Canada by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), in the United States by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), in the United Kingdom by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), and in France by the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).

“Orano has long been a trusted nuclear fuel cycle partner to the global energy industry, including managing and performing more than 5,000 transports of nuclear material every year,” said Amir Vexler, President and CEO of Orano USA. “Next-generation technologies such as Terrestrial Energy’s IMSR® will deliver new and valuable commercial applications of nuclear energy. We are pleased to apply our nuclear fuel cycle expertise to help advance the development of these nuclear energy facilities of the future.”