First Technical Analysis of the Integral Molten Salt Reactor Completed

On 7 June 2022, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the first joint technical analysis of the Terrestrial Energy Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR).

The technical inspection of the integral molten salt reactor was performed in the framework of the cross-border regulation program established in August 2019 in accordance with the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC). A joint review of Terrestrial Energy’s analysis and methodology of postulated initiating events (PIE) for the integral molten salt reactor was conducted. This work is the basis for future regulatory safety inspections and supports Terrestrial Energy’s regulatory program to prepare applications for licenses required to operate IMSR facilities in Canada and the U.S.

The IMSR integral molten salt reactor is a generation IV reactor that uses molten salt as a coolant, which is the preferred coolant compared to water. This allows the reactor to operate at lower pressures and higher temperatures resulting in lower costs and increased efficiency of electricity generation compared to nuclear power plants with light-water reactors.

It needs to be recalled that the process of verifying the design of the integral molten salt reactor consisted of 2 stages, the first of which was performed in 2016-2017. The implementation of the second stage lasted from 2018 to 2022.

According to Terrestrial Energy