Terrapower partnered with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to develop a “fourth-generation” nuclear fission technology. It is also known as the traveling wave reactor (TWR). The TWR is expected to build the the first reactor in mid-2020 and to bring the technology out of the testing laboratory as quickly as possible.
The TWR is a small-scale modular nuclear technology. Its production cost is lower than a conventional nuclear reactor. It is different from the third-generation technology Light Water Reactor (LWR). The traveling wave reactor does not require enriched uranium. Instead it uses depleted nuclear fuel and even its own nuclear waste can be recycled. According to the data, only 20% to 35% of nuclear fuel cannot be used because of nuclear fission, but the remaining fuel can be reused.
At present, the small modular reactor is still under research and development. Although its cost is low, its power is comparatively weak, so it has not yet had the power generation competitiveness.
