Terrestrial Energy Submits Graphite Topical Report to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Advancing Integrated Molten Salt Reactor Licensing Process

Terrestrial Energy, a leading company in fourth-generation molten salt reactor technology, announced on September 10 that it has submitted the Graphite Topical Report to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The submission of this report is intended to establish a solid regulatory certification basis for the application of nuclear-grade graphite——a core component of the IMSR core unit—in commercial power plants, marking an important step in the company's commercialization process.

The IMSR reactor is a graphite-moderated molten salt reactor. Although graphite has a relatively long history of application in the nuclear power field, regulators require independent performance verification for each specific reactor design to ensure safety and reliability. The report submitted this time is precisely intended to meet this requirement and obtain NRC acceptance.

Terrestrial Energy is progressively completing the submission of a series of IMSR topical reports according to a predetermined schedule. This Graphite Topical Report is the second of these, marking the company's advancement toward the overall commercial licensing application. The irradiation performance of graphite directly determines the service life of the IMSR core unit, and the review of this report has also formally initiated the NRC's certification process for this type of application.

To support the graphite qualification methodology proposed in the report, Terrestrial Energy has conducted extensive performance testing over the past several years. These tests were carried out at the NRG High Flux Reactor in Petten, the Netherlands, using multiple grades of nuclear-grade graphite from different suppliers, accumulating a rich body of data.

Once the report is approved, these data and the qualification methodology will serve directly as foundational elements of the IMSR licensing framework. This means that when formal construction and operating applications are subsequently submitted, much of the supporting analysis will no longer need to be re-reviewed, thereby significantly shortening the technical evaluation cycle and accelerating project progress.

Company CEO Simon Irish emphasized that graphite qualification is a key link in advancing the commercial deployment of the IMSR, and that Terrestrial Energy is steadily advancing engineering design, regulatory approval, supply chain development, and commercial project development. The company has set a goal of achieving the commissioning of its first commercial IMSR plant in the early 2030s.

Terrestrial Energy adopts an asset-light business model, the core of which is the replaceable core unit. It is understood that during the operating life of the plant, the core unit will be replaced in its entirety on a planned sequential basis every 7 years. This long-term, stable aftermarket parts supply is expected to become the primary source of revenue over the full life cycle of a single IMSR plant.

IMSR technology is a fourth-generation nuclear power plant technology and falls within the category of small modular reactors (SMRs). It can utilize low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel to provide low-cost, highly reliable electricity, and can also deliver high-temperature industrial process heat for applications in data centers, petrochemical synthesis, and various other fields, thereby strongly supporting industrial decarbonization and grid stability.