Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

343
Answer
There is wide participation in the design, development, and
programmatic activities of the MHTGR reactor. The U.S. Department
of Energy, in addition to providing overall program management and
support, participates directly in the technical activities through
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Idaho National Engineering
Laboratory (INEL). ORNL has been designated as the lead
organization for the MHTGR technology development efforts. INEL
provides overall top level guidance to the program and participates
in design review. The INEL site has also been recommended
by the program participants as a prime candidate for an MHTGR
demonstration plant.
As indicated in the answer to question 2., the utility industry is
active in the MHTGR program. EPRI participation is through Gas-
Cooled Reactor Associates (GCRA) . Although limited by funding,
their participation includes representation on the GCRA Board of
Directors and participation in the various management and
technical committee activities. In addition, EPRI has redirected
the scope of a number of their ongoing development programs to
provide results which contribute to the MHTGR program.
The level of funding required to fully design, build, and test an
MHTGR is currently being developed as part of a Project Definition
Study. This study, which is supported by the utility, vendor, and
architect-engineer participants in the MHTGR program, is being
carried out under the direction of GCRA. In addition to determining
overall costs, the study will define project requirements and
scope, benefits, and limitation and recommend the basis for the
sharing between private sector and government support of the
project. Preliminary indications, with major input from Bechtel
and stone & Webster, are that the total cost to perform the
design, development, and construction, and to operate a full scale
135 MWe Modular HTGR power station in a demonstration mode for
several years is about $800 million.
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