U.S. Generation IV Priorities

Two of the six technology concepts identified in the Technology Roadmap are being pursued at varying levels of effort based on their technology status and potential to meet program and national goals. The two concepts are the Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) and the Very-High Temperature Reactor (VHTR). Research and development (R&D) on the SFR is being conducted under the Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program (FCRD). VHTR R&D is being conducted under the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems by the Office of Gas Reactor Deployment.

DOE-NE Strategic Goals

While the Department is supporting research on several reactor concepts, priority is being given to the VHTR, a system compatible with advanced electricity, hydrogen production, and high temperature process heat applications. The VHTR concept is being pursued in the United States as the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The emphasis on VHTR reflects its potential for being economically and safely integrated into industrial applications without emitting greenhouse gases. This fits within the goals of enhancing the security of our energy supply and doing so in an environmentally responsible manner. Fuel cycle options for the VHTR (a thermal-spectrum reactor) are more limited than for fast-spectrum reactors. Fast-spectrum reactors are a potential component in our long-term energy solution. Their mission strengths result from their superior ability to burn recycled nuclear fuel. Closing the fuel cycle by recycling will reduce quantity and radiotoxicity of nuclear waste and increase uranium fuel utilization.  The lead laboratory for the Generation IV program is Idaho National Laboratory (INL).