Press Release

Petten, December 31, 2014

NRG finalizes qualification irradiation of the China-manufactured fuel for use in the new HTR-PM nuclear power plant

Yesterday, NRG has completed the multiyear qualification irradiation project of the China-manufactured fuel for use in the HTR-PM reactor, which is being constructed in the Shan Dong province of China. This high temperature resistant fuel consists of small coated fuel particles contained in 6 cm diameter pebbles. The irradiation results have shown very good behavior during the customized irradiation in the High Flux Reactor, Petten, The Netherlands, operated by NRG.

High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor—Pebble Bed Module (HTR-PM)

HTR-PM is a world-first modular full-scale high temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstration plant and is one of the 16 key projects in the Chinese national medium- and long-term (2006-2020) science & technology development program. This plant is located at Shidao Bay, Weihai, China. The first concrete of HTR-PM was poured in December 2012.

HTR-PM is an innovative nuclear reactor system with enhanced safety characteristics and high energy efficiency. It is an optimized and innovative design using Chinese engineering and manufacturing capability, based on extensive Chinese and world experience in High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor technology.

NRG HTR expertise

NRG has decades of experience with the controlled irradiation and examination of fuel and materials for HTR reactors. The HTR fuel is irradiated in the High Flux Reactor, and the behavior is monitored during the irradiation. Next to extensive fuel irradiation expertise, NRG is world leading with regards to graphite irradiation and examination. This is the case for HTR applications but also for the graphite currently applied in British power reactors, as basis for their long term operation safety cases.