The energy landscape of tomorrow
The Compact Molten Salt Reactor will complement other sustainable energy sources
The introduction of intermittent renewables into our electricity grids is causing a shift away from centralised networks based around high-emission power plants to a distributed grid of variable renewables.
For this new model to be sustainable, variable energy sources like wind and solar need to be complemented with stable sources such as nuclear energy.
Small modular reactors, like the CMSR, can produce energy where and when it is needed, supporting variable renewables on windless, cloudy days.
Today
Tomorrow
Project timeline
Our path to commercialization
Initial modeling
2015
Design, demonstra tion & licensing
Full-scale prototype
2020
2025
2027
Commercial reactors
A versatile energy source
Providing electricity is just one of many capabilities of the CMSR
High-temperature process applications
Electricity
production
Seawater
desalination
District
heating
The CMSR
in operation
As a power plant, the CMSR will be able to deliver electricity, clean water and heating/cooling to around 200,000 households.
Additionally, the outlet temperature of the reactor is high enough to efficiently produce carbon-neutral hydrogen, synthetic fuels and fertilizers.
This means that the CMSR is more than a power plant and can make an important contribution to the transition towards a prosperous and emission-free society.
Sustainable technology
We are designing the CMSR to be one of the most sustainable sources of energy in the world
1
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
The CMSR has excellent market fit, low upfront costs and fast deployment time. This drastically reduces financial risk and out-competes fossil fuels on free market terms.
2
SOCIAL
SUSTAINABILITY
In order to achieve a sustainable society, the world needs reliable and abundant energy sources that will function in both existing and emergent energy infrastructures.
3
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
The CMSR emits no greenhouse gases while operating and has the lowest resource use of any energy technology.
MATERIALS USED TO GENERATE ONE TWh OF ENERGY
The total resource consumption of the CMSR is extremely low, making it one of the world's most sustainable sources of energy.
Solar PV
14,920
tonnes
Hydro
12,760
tonnes
Wind
9,310
tonnes
Conventional
nuclear
840
tonnes
The CMSR
(estimated)
250
tonnes
Concrete
Glass
Steel
Other (incl. fuel)
What about
safety and waste?
Addressing the elephant in the room
In the CMSR, the fuel is mixed into a molten fluoride salt which also acts as the coolant. This provides significant safety benefits.
If the fuel salt should ever come into contact with the atmosphere, it will simply cool down and turn into solid rock, containing all the radioactive material within itself.
The reactor will operate at near-atmospheric pressures and cannot overheat thanks to a frozen salt plug that melts and drains the core to cooled tanks before damage can occur.
The liquid fuel salt gives the CMSR great flexibility with regards to which active elements to fission.
The CMSR can use both uranium from the existing supply chain as fuel, as well as thorium.
The reactor can operate on existing spent nuclear fuel. This turns long-lived waste into low-carbon energy and short-lived waste, like that from hospitals.