Xcel Energy is exploring a role as operator of the 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP), potentially becoming a key member of the first-of-its-kind small modular reactor (SMR) power plant that is under development at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site in Idaho Falls. The development is another sizable step for the six-module NuScale Power VOYGR project.
Xcel Energy Nuclear Services Holdings, the investor-owned utility’s nuclear operations arm, on March 2 signed a term sheet agreement with the project’s developer Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), committing both parties to work toward a potential long-term maintenance and operating (M&O) contract that could be signed as early as this summer.