The modular HTGR as a future power source

As the hiatus in new plant orders in the United States extended into the 1980's, a consensus began to emerge that a new approach would be required to revive the nuclear option. To overcome the underlying technical and institutional problems, smaller reactors with improved safety characteristics appeared necessary. In the U.S. High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) Program, a rigorous evaluation led to the selection, in 1985, of the 350 MWt Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) as the principal focus of the joint U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/Industry Program. Since that time, the conceptual design has been completed and an extensive licensing review has provided validation of the MHTGR safety concept. The program is now in the preliminary design phase under multi- year DOE contracts with the industrial participants. In this paper, the status of the design, development and deployment prospects for the MHTGR are updated