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TerraPower submits reactor design for UK approval

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Natrium technology aims for integration with renewable

resources

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UK government's nuclear expansion includes big, smaller

reactors

Oct 28 (Reuters) - TerraPower, a nuclear innovation

company founded by Bill Gates, has submitted a design for a new

type of reactor and energy storage system for regulatory

approval in Britain, in its first foray into international

markets, the company said on Tuesday.

The application to the UK's Generic Design Assessment (GDA)

process marks the first regulatory step towards deploying its

Natrium technology in a global market, TerraPower said.

"We look forward to working with the UK government as we

work through the review process," said Chris Levesque,

TerraPower president and CEO.

The company is looking to identify sites for its Natrium

reactor in the UK in cooperation with U.S. engineering firm KBR

, it added.

TERRAPOWER DESIGN MAY HELP UK DECARBONISATION EFFORTS

The UK is seeking to expand nuclear power, both large-scale

as well as small modular reactors (SMR), as part of a drive to

decarbonise its energy system while meeting growing demand,

highlighting the potential significance of TerraPower's design.

Potential hurdles to this effort include worries over

financing, political opposition, and technical challenges.

TerraPower, co-founded by billionaire Gates, has cleared

regulatory requirements in the United States, where the first

Natrium plant is being constructed.

Its design features a 345 megawatt (MW) sodium-cooled fast

reactor, with a molten salt-based energy storage system that is

able to boost output to 500 MW for more than five and a half

hours when needed, the company said.

This allows for seamless integration with renewable

resources, it added.