NuScale Power to Collaborate with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to Explore Artificial Intelligence-Guided Nuclear Fuel Management
The collaboration will utilize an artificial intelligence-enabled nuclear design framework to strategically explore and optimize fuel management across multiple reactors at a single site
CORVALLIS, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) announced today that it will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to utilize an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled nuclear design framework for a 12-NuScale Power Module
(NPM) configuration to strategically explore how fuel could be even more efficiently and effectively managed across multiple reactors at a single site.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative awarded funding to ORNL to collaborate with NuScale in this innovative research program. The GAIN initiative is housed within the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy. GAIN provides technical, regulatory, and financial support needed to advance nuclear technology towards commercialization. This is part of the first round of GAIN Vouchers awarded in fiscal year 2026.
Methods for optimizing the management of nuclear fuel for a single reactor are well-known. As part of this study, NuScale will partner with ORNL to use the power of AI to explore potential options for reducing fuel costs across multiple reactors. NuScale uses proven, off-the-shelf fuel assemblies, and unlike large reactors, NuScale’s multi-module architecture offers a unique opportunity to enhance fuel efficiency in up to 12 reactors with a single shared fuel pool and a significant number of fuel options. By sharing fuel across modules, NuScale may find ways to improve overall plant fuel efficiencies beyond what can be normally achieved in a single reactor plant, ultimately reducing costs. ORNL will share their expertise in AI, machine learning, fuel management, and computational resources to help drive this important research.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with ORNL, with the support of the DOE, to assess exciting new opportunities for potentially managing fuel even more efficiently across multiple nuclear reactors and further reducing costs going forward,” said John Hopkins, NuScale President and Chief Executive Officer. “With the tremendous focus on growing energy consumption in the U.S. and around the world, NuScale is committed to bringing clean, reliable energy to our customers, and this strategic partnership with ORNL will use cutting-edge computational science to create even more energy efficient fuel management solutions for our multi-module plants.”
About NuScale Power
Founded in 2007, NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) is the industry-leading provider of proprietary and innovative advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology, with a mission to help power the global energy transition by delivering safe, scalable, and reliable carbon-free energy. The Company’s groundbreaking SMR technology is powered by the NuScale Power Module, a small, safe, pressurized water reactor that can each generate 77 megawatts of electricity (MWe) or 250 megawatts thermal (gross), and can be scaled to meet customer needs through an array of flexible configurations up to 924 MWe (12 modules) of output.
As the first and only SMR to have its designs certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NuScale is well-positioned to serve diverse customers across the world by supplying nuclear energy for electrical generation, data centers, district heating, desalination, commercial-scale hydrogen production, and other process heat applications.
To learn more, visit NuScale Power’s website or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements (including without limitation statements containing terms such as “will,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans” or other similar expressions). These forward-looking statements include statements relating to strategic and operational plans, expectations regarding NuScale’s E2 Centers, including its impact on the future of energy, nuclear science and engineering education, the role of nuclear energy in the future of power generation, NuScale’s positioning to serve customers, capital deployment, future growth, new awards, backlog, earnings and the outlook for the Company’s business.
Actual results may differ materially as a result of a number of factors, including, among other things, the Company’s liquidity and ability to raise capital; the Company’s failure to receive new contract awards; cost overruns, project delays or other problems arising from project execution activities, including the failure to meet cost and schedule estimates; our expectations regarding obtaining regulatory approvals, and the timing thereof, to deploy our SMRs in the United States and abroad; forecasts regarding end-customer adoption rates and demand for our products in markets that are new and rapidly evolving; limitations on the effectiveness of our controls and procedures and our remediation plans related thereto; intense competition in the industries in which we operate; failure of our partners to perform their obligations; cyber-security breaches; foreign economic and political uncertainties; client cancellations of, or scope adjustments to, existing contracts; failure to maintain safe worksites and international security risks; risks or uncertainties associated with events outside of our control, including weather conditions, pandemics (including COVID-19), public health crises, political crises or other catastrophic events; macroeconomic conditions; the use of estimates and assumptions in preparing our financial statements; client delays or defaults in making payments; the failure of our suppliers, subcontractors and other third parties to adequately perform services under our contracts; uncertainties, restrictions and regulations impacting our government contracts; the inability to hire and retain qualified personnel; the potential impact of certain tax matters; possible information technology interruptions; the Company’s ability to secure appropriate insurance; liabilities associated with the performance of nuclear services; foreign currency risks; the loss of one or a few clients that account for a significant portion of the Company’s revenues; damage to our reputation; failure to adequately protect intellectual property rights; asset impairments; climate change and related environmental issues; increasing scrutiny with respect to sustainability practices; the availability of credit and restrictions imposed by credit facilities for our clients, suppliers, subcontractors or other partners; failure to obtain favorable results in existing or future litigation and regulatory proceedings, dispute resolution proceedings or claims, including claims for additional costs; failure by us or our employees, agents or partners to comply with laws; new or changing legal requirements, including those relating to environmental, health and safety matters; failure to successfully implement our strategic and operational initiatives and restrictions on possible transactions imposed by our charter documents and Delaware law. Caution must be exercised in relying on these and other forward-looking statements. Due to known and unknown risks, the Company’s results may differ materially from its expectations and projections.
Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in the Company’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the general economic conditions and other risks, uncertainties and factors set forth in the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Summary of Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and in subsequent filings with the SEC. The referenced SEC filings are available either publicly or upon request from NuScale’s Investor Relations Department at ir@nuscalepower.com. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation other than as required by law to update the forward-looking statements.
Contacts
Media contact
Chuck Goodnight, Vice President, Business Development, NuScale Power
media@nuscalepower.com
Investor contact
Rodney McMahan, Senior Director, Investor Relations
ir@nuscalepower.com
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