GEMINI
A Trans-Atlantic Partnership to Accelerate the Development of
Improved, Intrinsically Safe and Versatile Nuclear Energy Technology
The GEMINI Initiative:
a transatlantic partnership
Presented by
Mark Haynes (NGNP Industry Alliance) & Harri Tuomisto (FORTUM, NC2I Task Force)
Co-authors
From the NGNP Industry Alliance: D.J. Halter, M. Haynes, L. Sandell, F. Shahrokhi, C. Hamilton
From NC2I: C. Auriault, A. Bredimas, V. Chauvet, G. Brinkmann, M. Fütterer, D. Hittner, T. Jackowski,
B. Wiechers, A. Racek, K. Rozycki, R. Schmitt, H. Tuomisto
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On the basis of a common vision of the specific
potential of HTGR for industrial deployment,
The NGNP Industry Alliance, based in the US
The Nuclear Cogeneration Industrial Initiative,
based in Europe
decided to launch jointly the GEMINI Initiative .
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GEMINI
1. The NGNP Industry Alliance
2. The Nuclear Cogeneration Industrial Initiative
3. The GEMINI transatlantic partnership
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GEMINI
1. The NGNP Industry Alliance
2. The Nuclear Cogeneration Industrial Initiative
3. The GEMINI transatlantic partnership
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The NGNP Industry Alliance (NIA)
Mission: To promote the development and
commercialization of HTGR technology
The NGNP Industry Alliance (NIA)
Drivers for adopting High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor
(HTGR) Technology in the US
• Proven next generation nuclear technology – least
technical risk
• Billions invested in U.S. and around world; $600M by
federal government over past decade; Chinese currently
building commercial sized unit
• Least time to market / easiest to license in U.S.
• Safety second to none: able to be operated near or on
industrial facilities
• High output temperatures = many uses beyond electric
power
The NGNP Industry Alliance (NIA)
Key Milestones - 1
• Formed in response to the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005
• HTGR application studies of Waterford Louisiana site and of Canadian Oil
Sands
• HTGR assisted coal-to-liquids studies in 2 top U.S. coal states (Wyoming,
Kentucky)
• Worked with U.S. Congress and Administration to maintain strong funding
for
HTGR development work: approx. $600M since 2006
• Close coordination with the Idaho National Laboratory
• Completion of Business Plan in collaboration with U.S. Department of
Energy
• Ongoing collaborations with Korea and Japan on HTGR process heat for
hydrogen production
More on www.ngnpalliance.org
The NGNP Industry Alliance (NIA)
Key Milestones - 2
Coordinating next year’s HTR2016 meeting in the U.S.
Discussions with Indonesian, Saudi and authorities from other nations
Detailed business plan completed
MOU with NC2I
MOU with Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) for development
of HTGR centered Integrated Energy System at Piketon, Ohio
• Staying in close communication with DOE and Congress
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More on www.ngnpalliance.org
Profound investment in HTGRs
• Over the past 15 years US industry has invested over $1 billion in
evaluating design tradeoffs, early design and equipment
qualification for HTGR technology.
• Many billions have been historically spent on demonstrations in
the U.S., EU, Japan and China since 1960s
• Via the authorization of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 for the Next
Generation Nuclear Plant Project, the US Government has
invested over $600 million in development and qualification of
TRISO fuel, high temperature materials and selected equipment –
far more than any other next generation nuclear technology
• The US Government is expected to provide funding of ~ $200
million over next six years to complete fundamental development
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GEMINI
1. The NGNP Industry Alliance
2. The Nuclear Cogeneration Industrial Initiative
3. The GEMINI transatlantic partnership
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What is the Nuclear Cogeneration
Industrial Initiative (NC2I)?
www.nc2i.eu
Purpose: to drive the development and deployment of high
temperature nuclear cogeneration for industrial use
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What is the Nuclear Cogeneration
Industrial Initiative (NC2I)?
www.nc2i.eu
• NC2I was set up in 2011 as Europe’s initiative for nuclear
cogeneration, under its umbrella organisation, the Sustainable
Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP)
• HTGR was selected as the reference technology in order to
reach higher temperatures for industrial applications
• NC2I builds on French & German legacy + 15 years of EU R&D
programmes + Polish programme
• The task force gathers the nuclear developers, and the
business group will allow a structured dialogue with end-users
and investors to drive the demonstration programme
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GEMINI
1. The NGNP Industry Alliance
2. The Nuclear Cogeneration Industrial Initiative
3. The GEMINI transatlantic partnership
30/09/20
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A shared vision of the assets and challenges
for HTGR industrial deployment
• Government funding would be needed to de-risk the
project and would be in line with the government role:
 Increased safety
 Reduction of CO2 footprint in industry
 Increased job opportunities
 Industrial energy supply security and
diversity
Brussels, 24 June 2014
Signature of the MOU between NC2I
and NGNP IA: the founding of GEMINI
⇒The NGNP Industry Alliance and NC2I decided to
launch the GEMINI Initiative for facilitating this
challenging phase by sharing the development efforts
and the risks between US and Europe.
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The GEMINI Initiative (1)
• The approach
 Convergence of designs between Europe and the US
 If possible same design
 At least maximum convergence between both designs
(e.g. most components identical, same fuel)
 Some residual differences may persist in order to address different market
needs or regulatory requirements on both sides
 Industry and research organizations in the US and in Europe need to work
under a strong international agreement to carry out the design and
regulatory tasks, as well as the residual R&D and qualification.
 Apply lessons learned from ITER
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The GEMINI Initiative (2)
• Main advantages
 Help overcome U.S. and EU difficulty in deployment of new nuclear
technology
 Reduce each partner’s cost by sharing tasks, in particular costs of onetime barriers of design and design certification
 Combine the best engineering and research talents and means,
industrial capabilities, and past experience & ongoing activities
 Paves way for other technologies such as fast reactor technology
 Increase technical expertise
 Increase political support
 Facilitate a more assured funding stream
 Increase markets for reactors, fuel, components, etc. (exports!)
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The GEMINI Initiative (3)
• Main actors
 Nuclear vendors
 Research Centers
 Governments
 Investors
• Main outputs
 Certified design
 Identified supply chain
 Qualified components
 Sites for demonstration in the US and in Europe
 Operator / end-users partnership for construction and operation
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The GEMINI Initiative (4)
• Cooperation modalities
 Technology mapping to support
synergies and avoid gaps &
duplications
 Semi-annual exchange workshops
 Cooperation in projects (NC2I-R,
TWINS proposal…)
 Joint communication (GEMINI public
website, presentations in conferences,
delegation visits…)
NC2I visit to Piketon in April 2015.
Attendance from U.S. DOE, NIA,
SODI, INL, U.S. Congress, local governments
• Strong Piketon/SODI support for partnership with EU
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GEMINI
A Trans-Atlantic Partnership to Accelerate the Development of
Improved, Intrinsically Safe and Versatile Nuclear Energy Technology
Backup Slides
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A shared vision of the assets and challenges
for HTGR industrial deployment (1)
• Higher temperature than present nuclear systems
⇒ Possibility to operate in cogeneration mode with high
flexibility for adjusting between power & heat generation
Opens a large market for nuclear-powered industrial
process heat supply identified in US and EU
Not in competition with Gen III deployment
Very significant potential to contribute to
 Security of energy supply
 Limitation of CO2 emissions
• Industry responsible for 25% of European CO2 emissions
• 100 MWth of HTGR process heat saves 140 000 t of CO2 / yr against
natural gas and almost double against coal
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A shared vision of the assets and challenges
for HTGR industrial deployment (2)
• Unique intrinsic safety features
 Even in worst case scenario, no significant core
degradation and/or radioactive releases outside the
reactor in accident condition
⇒ Possible co-location with process industries
 Simplification of the safety design
⇒Asset for competitiveness
• The most mature Generation IV technology
⇒ Possibility of early industrial deployment
with mostly proven technologies
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A shared vision of the assets and challenges
for HTGR industrial deployment (3)
• Industrial experience with nuclear cogeneration until
now limited to lower temperatures
⇒ Need for industrial demonstration of cogeneration with HTGR
as soon as possible before large scale industrial deployment
• 3 phases for the demonstration program, with
different leading actors and different level of financial
(not primarily technical) risks
1. Design and licensing Leader: designer
2. Construction
Leaders: operator/end-user
3. Operation
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Significant risks
Medium to low risks
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A shared vision of the assets and challenges
for HTGR industrial deployment (4)
• Despite low technical risk, there are high risks in the first
phase of the development of a new nuclear system
 Large up-front costs (~ 1.5 G$ for completing design and licensing of
prototype cogeneration HTGR) and long duration (about 7 years)
 Timeframe for meeting regulatory requirements long and uncertain
 Return on investment in 15 to 20 years
⇒Need to alleviate demonstration risks and
make construction projects attractive for investors
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Basis for the HTGR
cogeneration system design (1)
• To use the HTGR modular concept
 For enhanced safety, economic competitiveness and
adaptation to end-users needs
• To benefit from steam networks already in operation
on large industrial sites:
At least for the first applications, the coupling between
the nuclear heat source and the process heat
applications will be a standardized “plug-in”
coupling, with the HTGR system substituting a
conventional cogeneration plant
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Basis for the HTGR
cogeneration system design (2)
⇒No need for HTGR outlet temperature to exceed
700-750°C and process steam to exceed 550-600°C
⇒Possibility to rely on mature
designs with steam generators and
secondary steam cycle (HTR-Modul,
MHTGR, etc.), adapting them to
present regulatory frameworks
⇒Use of existing nuclear industry-proven
HTR-Modul
materials for main components – Helium
Pressure Boundary and Steam Generator
MHTGR
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Basis for the HTGR
cogeneration system design (3)
• Nevertheless, as long as no additional risks and delays are
induced, to assess the benefit from progress of technology
and innovations drawn from the most
recent design experiences in Europe and
in the US (ANTARES, NGNP…) or emerging
from the GEMINI Initiative:
 Recent graphite grades selected by the
European and US R&D
 The fuel developed in the US and being ANTARES
presently qualified in the AGR program
 Use of advanced technologies (composites
for control rod cladding, membranes for He
purification, advanced instrumentation, etc.)
Reactor
Vessel
Main
Circulator
Cross
Vessel
Shutdown
cooling
system
← Fraction of produced fission products released in the AGR 1 irradiation < 10-7
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Plate IHX
modules
Reactor
Building
IHX
Vessel
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The global energy context:
Worldwide concern for climate change
• In Europe, the SET-Plan fixed
ambitious targets for reducing
CO2 emissions
- 40% by 2030
• In US, Clean Power Plan – EPA
emission goals, June 2014
-30% by 2030
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The global energy context:
Concern for security of energy supply
• The EU economy is significantly
dependent on imported fossil fuel
 High and volatile energy costs
 Insecurity of supply due to
international conflicts
⇒ Concern about de-industrialization of
Europe: unfavorable energy conditions
contribute to relocation of industrial
activities from Europe to other regions
(“carbon leakage”)
• US is currently flushed with cheap natural gas from fracking
operation, however
 Environmental concerns are brewing
 Export to higher priced markets is expected to normalize worldwide
price of natural gas
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