US-based Terrestrial Energy, a company developing Generation IV molten salt nuclear plants to supply electricity and high-temperature industrial heat, has submitted its thermal and electric facility (TEF) topical report to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

If approved, the TEF, which houses the generators, turbines, and steam supply systems of the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) plant, could be customised for each site and built and operated ahead of the plant’s nuclear construction permit and operating licence.

The IMSR plant is designed in two discrete parts: the nuclear facility, containing standardised and modular nuclear systems, and the TEF, containing non-nuclear heat transfer, steam supply and electric systems for commercial power generation and thermal energy supply.