Cranberry Township, PA, January 18, 2019 – Westinghouse Electric Company has been awarded $93.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in support of their accident-tolerant fuel program, EnCore® Fuel.
The EnCore Fuel program includes the development of both short- and long-term products that provide advanced safety features, enhanced fuel cycles and economic advantages. The first phase of the program will deliver chromium-coated zirconium cladding for enhanced oxidation and corrosion resistance, and higher density ADOPT™ pellets for improved fuel economics. The second phase will introduce silicon carbide composite cladding and high-density uranium silicide pellets to offer significantly higher safety and economic benefits.
“We are very pleased to be a technology leader in the accident-tolerant fuel initiative and to have been chosen by the DOE to receive this funding,” said Ken Canavan, Westinghouse’s chief technology officer. “This is a testament to the capabilities of Westinghouse as well as to the impact that these types of investments can make in bringing the safest and most advanced technologies to market.”
The funding will be used by Westinghouse, in partnership with General Atomics, as well as our national laboratory and university partners to accelerate the introduction of lead test rods of silicon carbide cladding into a U.S. commercial reactor by 2022. The funding will also support the implementation of the first load fuel assemblies containing lead test rods of Encore Fuel, currently scheduled to be inserted in Exelon Generation’s Byron Unit 2 in spring of 2019.
For additional information about Westinghouse and our EnCore Fuel prohgram, please visit here.