Exclusive | 2nd nuclear power reactor considered for Eastern Washington

A second plan is in the works to bring more nuclear power production to the Mid-Columbia.

Grant County PUD has signed a memorandum of understanding with NuScale Power to evaluate the use of the small modular reactor designed by the Oregon company.

Grant County Public Utility District already had signed onto a partnership agreement with Energy Northwest of Richland and X-energy of Rockville, Md.

X-energy is developing an advanced nuclear power reactor that could be operating within seven years on property leased to Energy Northwest at the Hanford nuclear reservation.

Energy Northwest now operates the Northwest’s only commercial nuclear power reactor, the Columbia Generating Station, 10 miles north of Richland in Eastern Washington.

The reactor, which has operated since 1984, can produce 1,207 megawatts, enough electricity to power a city the size of Seattle and its metro area.

Grant County PUD would use the nuclear power from either or both of the proposed new nuclear projects for its growing customer base.

NuScale of Portland, Ore., with an office in the Tri-Cities, has designed a nuclear power plant with modules capable of generating 77 megawatts of electricity. The plants can be scaled up from four modules to house as many as 12 modules.

The modules are designed to be made at a factory and then shipped to where they will be used, reducing the costs associated with building full-size commercial nuclear power plants, according to NuScale.

No site or timeline for a possible Grant County PUD NuScale reactor has been announced.

NuScale is on track to receive full design certification from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its small modular reactor by August 2021.

PUD a power producer

Grant County PUD already functions as a large-scale power generator, owning and operating the Priest Rapids and Wanapum hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River upriver from the Hanford site.

With two smaller hydro projects, it has total generation capacity of 2,100 megawatts, and also has a share of the Nine Canyon Wind Project just south of Kennewick.

Its strategy of local ownership and control of power resources to provide low-cost power has helped the county’s economy grow and expanded its industrial sector.

But it anticipates needing to add additional electric generation by 2026 or it will have to buy electricity, which is not its preference. It projects that demand for electricity will continue to grow for service that now includes data centers, agriculture food processing, large manufacturers, in addition to residential and small business and commercial users.

It is looking at small modular nuclear reactor as a way to reliably produce electricity when needed while maintaining its carbon-free portfolio.

““NuScale’s dedication to innovation and safety fit well with Grant PUD’s values,” said Kevin Nordt, the PUD’s chief executive.

The company’s small modular reactors are designed to safely shut down and self-cool indefinitely with no need for operator or computer action, electrical power or the addition of water, according to NuScale.

John Hopkins, NuScale chief executive, called Grant PUD an experienced and pioneering utility that has brought reliable, low-cost power to its customers by investing in innovative and sustainable energy projects.

In April X-Energy, Energy Northwest and Grant County PUD announced a partnership agreement to develop, build and operate an 80-megawatt reactor, the Xe-100, north of the Tri-Cities. The project could be scaled up to a four-reactor, 320-megawatt plant.

Similar to NuScale’s reactor, the Xe-100 would be manufactured and shipped to where it is needed.

This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Exclusive | 2nd nuclear power reactor considered for Eastern Washington."