IBERDROLA and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to investigate PRISM reactor
IBERDROLA and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation towards the deployment of PRISM, a technology that reuses reprocessed plutonium.
The two companies, along with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) will analyse the options for GEH’s PRISM technology, which is designed to run on fuels that would normally be considered waste products: the transuranic (that is, heavier than uranium) metals found in spent nuclear fuel, and plutonium.
In January 2014, the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) noted that, on the information provided, PRISM’s fourth generation nuclear power technology was considered a credible option for managing the UK’s plutonium stockpile.
First estimates by GEH indicate that PRISM - Power Reactor Innovative Small Module - technology, with a life span of at least 60 years, could recycle the UK’s entire plutonium stockpile - which amounts to over 100 tonnes - in 25 years.
After decades of debate, a new reactor could help solve the UK’s plutonium problem. Click here to read more.