Idaho National Laboratory learned on Nov. 8, 2023, that the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) and NuScale Power Corporation (NuScale) have mutually agreed to terminate the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP). This project called for the construction of a NuScale Power small modular reactor power plant on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) INL Site. As these organizations decide on the next steps for the project, we remain hopeful about the future of the many other advanced reactor projects INL is involved in. 

The Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) formally launched the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) in 2015 as part of its long-term strategy to reduce carbon emissions and replace aging coal-fired plants with a carbon-free fuel, and small-to-full-sized, flexible power generating source.

The project calls for constructing a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) power plant on DOE’s 890-square-mile Idaho Site using an SMR technology being developed by NuScale Power. The proposed SMR plant is available in several configurations and would feature 60-to-77-megawatt modules that would generate clean electricity in a relatively small footprint. The SMR plant is expected to be fully operational by 2030.

The scalable and modular nature of the Carbon Free Power Project would help UAMPS participating members meet their objectives to embrace distributed generation, including rooftop solar, by integrating intermittent sources onto the grid and to move to low-to-zero-carbon electricity portfolios.