Oakville, Ontario, May 5, 2022 – Terrestrial Energy hosted the 32nd GIF Molten Salt Reactor steering committee meeting at its Oakville, Canada office on May 3-5, 2022. This bi-annual gathering of world nuclear experts is part of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). Terrestrial Energy, developing its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) cogeneration plant based on Generation IV fission technology, is the GIF’s only private sector signatory.
Established in 2001 by Canada, United States, United Kingdom and other nations, the GIF is a cooperative international endeavor to research and develop fourth generation (Generation IV) nuclear technologies, and to make them available for industrial deployment by 2030.
The GIF has selected technologies as Generation IV if they have the potential to be economically competitive, use fuel more efficiently, produce less waste, and meet stringent standards of safety and proliferation resistance. It is administered by the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency.
Photo: Twenty-one experts attended the GIF MSR steering committee meeting in person and remotely, representing 12 national MSR programs.
The GIF provides a framework under which member nations collaborate and share data supporting development of Generation IV technologies. Its goal is for Generation IV nuclear to deliver substantial improvements over Generation III water-cooled-water-moderated fission technologies in the areas of sustainability, economics, reliability, safety, safeguards, and physical protection.
Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) technology was chosen as one of six Generation IV technologies for its potential to excel in these goals. The expanding international membership in the GIF MSR committee reflects growing international interest in the technology.
Terrestrial Energy’s IMSR Generation IV fission technology offers improved economics and fuel economy, generates less radioactive waste, features high passive safety and strong proliferation defenses. The IMSR’s high-temperature operation delivers a 50 percent improvement in thermal efficiency of electricity generation over water-cooled-water-moderated nuclear technologies, and its low-pressure operation further reduces overall energy production costs.
In 2019, Terrestrial Energy became a signatory to the MSR steering committee and remains the only private sector signatory in any of the six GIF reactor systems. Dr. David LeBlanc, President and Chief Technology Officer of Terrestrial Energy, represents the company on the committee.
“Developing working relationships with worldwide centres of excellence for next-generation fission technology has been a hallmark of Terrestrial Energy’s participation in the GIF,” said Dr. LeBlanc. “We have technology development projects in progress in many GIF member nations, such as our graphite irradiation program at the Petten High Flux Reactor in the Netherlands, fuel salt testing at Argonne National Lab in the United States, and at the European Commission Joint Research Center in Germany, as well as work on a superior spent fuel-form using ANSTO’s Synroc Technology in Australia. These collaborations support the goals of the GIF and are making valuable contributions to the development and commercialization of our IMSR Generation IV cogeneration plant.”
