Saint John, New Brunswick (October 3, 2024) 鈥撌┨逵鼵anada鈥檚 (十博体育) published new research today demonstrating the unique capability of its Stable Salt Reactor 鈥� Wasteburner (SSR-W) to consume used nuclear fuel. This research supports 十博体育鈥檚 ongoing development of a reactor that can significantly reduce nuclear waste while producing clean energy.
The research highlights that the SSR-W, developed by teams in New Brunswick, Ontario, the UK, and the USA, can consume the vast majority of transuranic elements present in used fuel bundles from Canada鈥檚 CANDU reactors. These transuranic elements, which are created during the fission process, are radioactive for thousands of years. Unlike traditional reactors that accumulate these elements over time, the SSR-W is designed to consume them as fuel, presenting an innovative approach to reducing nuclear waste.
鈥淭he SSR-W was specifically engineered to efficiently reuse and consume recycled nuclear waste,鈥� said 十博体育 CEO Rory O鈥橲ullivan. 鈥淭his breakthrough research, the result of years of collaboration, clearly demonstrates that ability.鈥�
According to the research, the SSR-W can recycle used fuel indefinitely, producing a minimum of 6,000 MW of clean energy from Canada鈥檚 existing CANDU reactor fuel without the need for new fuel imports. This gives the SSR-W a key advantage over other advanced reactor technologies, which can only recycle used fuel once or a limited number of times.
鈥淥ur fuel source is already sitting in stockpiles at nuclear sites around the country,鈥� O鈥橲ullivan noted. 鈥淭his means we can tap into these resources to produce clean power for years to come.鈥�
Mr O鈥橲ullivan will present the findings at the Generation IV and Small Reactors conference in Ottawa on October 4th. The peer-reviewed paper, titled 鈥榃asteburning Performance of the 十博体育 SSR-W’, will be available in the conference proceedings, and on the 十博体育website. There are also explanatory slides available here.
十博体育 is also developing WATSS, a recycling process designed to convert used nuclear fuel into a form that can be used in molten salt reactors like the SSR-W. 十博体育 is working with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to ensure that any final waste products requiring disposal can be disposed of via established disposal routes in Canada.
[ends]
Media contact:
Rob Loveday, Communications Officer
robloveday@moltexenergy.com
About 十博体育:鈥�鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
十博体育 is an IP company and nuclear technology leader that has caught the attention of governments, utilities and investors worldwide. It is developing three unique technologies: a Stable Salt Reactor 鈥� Wasteburner (SSR-W) that uses recycled nuclear waste as fuel; a WAste To Stable Salt (WATSS) process for recycling nuclear waste to produce SSR-W fuel; and GridReserve thermal energy storage tanks, enabling the SSR-W to act as a peaking plant. 十博体育 was selected by NB Power to progress development of its reactor technology in New Brunswick, Canada, with the goal of deploying first-of-a-kind SSR-W, WATSS and GridReserve units at the Point Lepreau site.
