Terrestrial Energy Announces its Engagement with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

OAKVILLE, ON – February 25th, 2016 – Terrestrial Energy is pleased to announce that it is submitting its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) design to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for Phase I of its prelicensing Vendor Design Review. During the course of this review, which is an optional feedback process offered by the CNSC, Terrestrial Energy will be demonstrating that the design meets Canadian regulatory requirements in a number of technical topic areas. This is seen as the first step towards an eventual license application to build its first commercial demonstration IMSR power plant.

Terrestrial Energy CEO, Simon Irish, made the following comment regarding the engagement: “Terrestrial Energy is entering a new phase of its development – moving ahead from reactor research and design, to engineering and regulatory compliance. This new chapter takes the Company towards the submission of a formal license application to build and operate the first commercial demonstration Integral Molten Salt Reactor plant in the 2020s.”

The Honorable Jeffrey Merrifield, former Commissioner at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said: “Attentive industry observers will appreciate the significance of Terrestrial Energy’s announcement – this is the first Molten Salt Reactor system to begin regulatory engagement with a western nuclear regulatory authority. It also positions Terrestrial Energy as one of the leading Advanced Reactor system developers today that is taking definitive regulatory steps toward commercialization.” 

Travis Bradford, Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University, specializing in energy and natural resource markets, and innovation said: “The unanimous global climate goals established at COP21 have amplified our collective resolve to reduce GHG emission. However, the practical pathways to deploy sustainable high impact technology solutions are still uncertain and there remain critical gaps in our current set of energy solutions. Terrestrial Energy’s IMSR, a next generation Molten Salt Reactor, is designed to fill one of the most critical gaps – a scalable, clean, carbonfree industrial heat and power solution. Today’s announcement puts the Company firmly on the path to being a significant part of the climate solution within the critical response horizon of the 2020s.”

Terrestrial Energy is developing a next-generation nuclear reactor based on its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology. The IMSR represents true innovation in safety, cost and functionality. It will offer safe and reliable power solutions for electricity production, both on- and off-grid, and also energy for industrial process heat generation. These together extend the applicability of nuclear energy far beyond its current footprint. With this profile, the IMSR is capable of driving the rapid global decarbonization of the primary energy system by displacing fossil fuel combustion across a broad front. It is complementary to renewable power sources and ideal for distributed power systems on existing grids. Using an innovative design and proven Molten Salt Reactor technology, the IMSR can be brought to global markets in the 2020s. Terrestrial Energy is currently developing its IMSR commercial demonstration power plant for deployment in Canada.