Companies get $8 million for new reactor

Westinghouse Electric, General Atomics, and AREVA NP were awarded a total of $8 million to develop "preconceptual" designs for a nuclear reactor capable of generating very high temperature process heat suitable for producing hydrogen as well as electricity. The funding was awarded by the Department of Energy and is the first contract issued under DOE's next-generation nuclear plant program. The designs are expected in 2007, and the program may lead to a $2.4 billion demonstration project for a new approach to generating electricity and hydrogen with nuclear power. It is authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.