SMALL MODULAR REACTOR DESIGN PROGRAM

Title: Draft Funding Opportunity Announcement for Industry Partnerships for Small Modular Reactor Projects is Issued for Industry CommentBody: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a draft Funding Opportunity Announcement (dFOA) for a Cost-Shared Industry Partnership Program for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Small modular reactors represent a key element of DOE s nuclear energy programs. The SMR program is a near-term, multi-year initiative focused on the completion of design certification and licensing activities for safe, secure and economical SMR technologies to be developed and deployed in the United States. It is anticipated that up to two (2) financial assistance agreements for SMR certification and licensing may eventually be awarded. This is a DRAFT Funding Opportunity Announcement only; DOE is NOT seeking and will not accept applications or proposals, nor make awards, resulting from this dFOA. At this time, DOE is seeking input from industry and other interested parties on the dFOA. This dFOA, is available on the Grants.gov website via the Internet at http://grants.gov/ under reference number DE-FOA-0000371. Industry comment may be incorporated into the planned final SMR FOA, anticipated to be issued later this Spring 2012. An Industry Day (pre-bidders conference) is tentatively planned to occur in the April 2012 timeframe, after issuance of the final FOA.Interested parties have thirty (30) days to submit any comments, questions, concerns or suggestions regarding the dFOA for DOE s consideration to the Contract Specialist, Layne Isom at the following e-mail address: isomla@id.doe.gov . The deadline for submission of dFOA responses is: February 17, 2012. All comments, questions and suggestions submitted in response to the draft Funding Opportunity Announcement (dFOA) will be considered by DOE. In response, DOE plans to issue a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on or about the time the final FOA is issued. However, DOE does not plan to reply directly to parties who have submitted comments to the dFOA, nor does DOE necessarily intend to address each specific comment submitted.