Toshiba Corporation has informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it intends to apply for approval of the 4S reactor design in the third quarter (April-June) of fiscal year 2012. Toshiba had originally intended to begin the application process as early as 2010, and although this goal was not met, the reactor vendor has established a fairly detailed schedule, with eight new topical reports to be submitted to the NRC before the application itself. The 4S (Super-Safe, Small, and Simple) is a small modular reactor (SMR) that is rated at 30 MW thermal and 10 MW electrical and uses liquid-metal coolant. The fuel is sealed in the reactor at the factory, and once the reactor is delivered to the end-user's site and installed in its support structure, it can generate power for as long as 30 years without refueling. At the end of that time, the reactor would be removed and returned to the factory for deluding.
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