Utah utility teams up with NuScale Power for low-cost, low-emission electricity

October 11, 2018 | Case Study

In light of the increasing attention to climate change and the associated increased potential for future regulations that put a cost on carbon, the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) is investigating the use of NuScale's small modular reactor (SMR) design to supply carbon-free electricity. UAMPS is a public organization with a purview to provide wholesale electricity, transmission capacity, and other energy services to a variety of cooperative utilities in the region. Its choice to explore the use of an SMR for generation is part of a three-pronged approach to prepare for the energy transition, alongside energy efficiency and distributed generation programs. NuScale's involvement is still in very early stages, with the Idaho National Laboratory selected as the preferred site and full commercial operation not expected until 2026. Nonetheless, the company has strong relationships with EPC (engineering, procurement, and comissioning) company Fluor and UAMPS is the first known contracted customer of an SMR system globally.