| Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project | |
|---|---|
 Artist's concept of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant, looking east | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Oak Ridge, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 35°53′24″N 84°22′57″W / 35.89000°N 84.38250°W |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Owner | United States Department of Energy |
| Operator | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | SFR |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse Electric Corporation |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Plutonium |
| Cooling source | Clinch River |
| Thermal capacity | 975 MW[1] |
| Power generation | |
| Units cancelled | 1 |
| Nameplate capacity | 350[1] MW |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
The Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project was a nuclear reactor project that aimed to build the USA's first large-scale demonstration breeder reactor plant.[2] It was led by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (and a successor agency, the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), and subsequently the U.S. Department of Energy). The project was opposed by President Carter.[3]
The project was intended as a prototype and demonstration for building a class of such reactors, called Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors (LMFBR), in the United States. The project was first authorized in 1970.[4] After initial appropriations were provided in 1972, work continued until the U.S. Congress terminated funding on October 26, 1983. The project was seen to be "unnecessary and wasteful".[3]
- ^ a b Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project Preliminary Safety Analysis Report Summary Volume (PDF). Project Management Corporation. p. SVA-2. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Final Report, The Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project (PDF). Breeder Reactor Corporation. January 1985. p. 1. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ a b Peter A. Bradford. Delivering the nuclear promise, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, June 2016.
- ^ Congressional Budget Office, Comparative Analysis of Alternative Financing Plans for the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project, September 20, 1983