US-based Terrestrial Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Schneider Electric to jointly develop commercial opportunities and advance the deployment of Terrestrial’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology for industrial heat and power supply. Schneider Electric systems automate and optimise energy management for improved performance, efficiency, and contribute to the commercial and sustainability goals of its customers.
The IMSR is a 442 MWt per Core-unit (IMSR400) small modular molten salt fuelled, graphite moderated, thermal spectrum reactor. Terrestrial Energy has developed a two-unit configuration which can deliver 884 MWt/390 MWe. The design features a completely sealed reactor vessel with integrated pumps, heat exchangers and shutdown rods all mounted inside a single vessel – the IMSR Core-unit. The sealed Core-unit is replaced completely at the end of its useful service life (nominally seven years). This allows factory production levels of quality control and economy, while avoiding any need to open and service the reactor vessel at the power plant site.
According to Terrestrial, the IMSR400 achieves the highest levels of inherent safety as it does not depend on operator intervention, powered mechanical components, coolant injection or their support systems such as electricity supply or instrument air in dealing with upset conditions. Its heat and power supply has many industrial uses that require reliable, baseload zero-carbon energy supply at near-site locations, such as dedicated power for large data centers and cogeneration for heavy industrial facilities.
The collaboration seeks to offer solutions to the major energy challenges faced by data centre operators and many heavy industries operating a wide range of industrial processes such as hydrogen, ammonia, aluminium, and steel production. These high-energy users require low-cost, reliable and emissions-free baseload supply that offers an alternative to intermittent renewable power with storage or carbon emitting fossil fuel power plants.
“Schneider Electric’s value proposition is to leverage Digital Twin technology across the full IMSR project lifecycle and during operations – resulting in a reduction of project time to market and cost as well as more efficient operations,” said Gary Lawrence, President of Power & Grid Systems at Schneider Electric. “We are excited to collaborate with Terrestrial Energy on IMSR deployment projects and contribute to meeting the increasing demand for electrification across different market segments.”
Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy said Schneider Electric is the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, a supplier with capabilities central to the reliable and efficient operation of IMSR plants. “The IMSR’s use of next-generation fission technology – Generation IV molten salt technology – delivers the transformative improvements in the commercial performance of nuclear energy necessary to meet the fast-growing demand for zero-carbon energy across many industrial applications and markets, he noted.
In April 2023, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), following a systematic and multi-year review against nuclear regulatory requirements, concluded that there were no fundamental barriers to licensing the IMSR plant for commercial use. This was the first-ever regulatory review of a commercial nuclear plant using molten salt reactor technology and the first advanced, high-temperature fission technology to complete a review of this type.
Image: Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy (third from left) and Gary Lawrence, President of Power & Grid Systems at Schneider Electric (third from right) with members of the Schneider team at the MoU signing ceremony (courtesy of Terrestrial Energy)
