The U.S. Energy Dept. is set to build at its Idaho Falls, Idaho, nuclear research site a test reactor to support research and development of new nuclear energy technologies, the agency’s nuclear energy office said by tweet on Nov. 19. Known as the Versatile Test Reactor, or VTR, the project will cost from $3 billion to $6 billion, with design and construction by a Bechtel-led team.
Battelle Energy Alliance, which operates the Idaho National Laboratory site, is negotiating with Bechtel National, along with team members TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.