StarCube CEO pitches factory-built 10 MW microreactors, targets $0.20/kWh and four-year refueling

Bill Spillane, chief executive officer of StarCube, told the Science, Technology and Energy Committee on Wednesday that his Portsmouth-based company is designing factory-built microreactors aimed at lowering New England electricity costs.

Spillane said StarCube is developing a roughly 10-megawatt electrical pressurized water reactor that uses low-enriched uranium and is sized for factory assembly and rapid deployment. "We're designing our reactor from the end working backward to make it financially pencil in," he said, describing 40-foot shipping-container footprints for the reactor, generator and support equipment.

The nut graf: Spillane argued microreactors can be sited closer to loads than traditional large plants and can reduce costs through factory production. He said the company’s initial target for unit 1 is about $0.20 per kilowatt-hour, with planned cost declines as manufacturing scales.

Spillane described safety and operations in conventional terms: the design uses tried-and-true pressurized water reactor technology, intends a four-year refueling cycle, and will include safety-related components and replicated cooling and backup systems. "There will be many parts in there that will be safety related. The NRC will make sure that we design the reactor to be safe," he said, adding battery or generator-based backups sized to support cooling pumps for the typical 72-hour planning window used at larger plants.

On regulation, Spillane said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is revising its rules to accommodate small reactors. He pointed to NRC actions (part 53, and a new part 57 for research/test reactors) and said those changes make denser, campus- or port-scale siting more feasible. "Part 57 is enabling…research and test reactors to be cited in dense areas where the load is actually needed," he said.

Committee members pressed for technical detail and proof points. A committee member asked whether the microreactor would require the same emergency cooling and generator infrastructure as larger stations; Spillane said the smaller size makes battery-based backups feasible and he expects designs to meet NRC standards. Members also questioned supply-chain readiness, quality-assurance standards (references to ASME and 10 CFR QA frameworks), operator training and the company’s timeline; Spillane said StarCube plans to build simulators and training programs and intends to roll out a factory in New Hampshire when financing and designs allow.

Spillane acknowledged spent fuel remains a policy and acceptance issue beyond the company's control and said Department of Energy and NRC efforts will determine long-term spent-fuel pathways. When asked about customer demand, he named ports, universities and industrial users as early target customers and said the company is in early commercial conversations.

The committee recessed for a short break and moved on to the next presentation. No formal committee action on StarCube was taken at the meeting.