The annual EPRI Technology Transfer Awards recognize members who have successfully transferred our research into applied results. The award winners have shown exceptional application of EPRI research and technology in solving a problem of size and significance, championing a technology both with their companies and across the industry, driving progress in the electricity sector, and providing meaningful benefits for their companies’ stakeholders and for society.
EPRI recognizes and celebrates the hard work, commitment, and leadership demonstrated by these award winners to help make electricity more reliable, efficient, affordable, safe, and environmentally responsible.
The Nuclear Power Council Executive Committee reviewed the award nominations, providing their industry-wide perspective, and selected 14 for Technology Transfer awards, recognizing 53 recipients in 19 EPRI member companies worldwide.
Nominees are judged on the following criteria:
Successful application of research results
Magnitude of the problem solved
Impact and quantifiable benefits of the application to the company, customers, and/or society at large
Leadership, innovation, and initiative demonstrated
EPRI Contact
- Laura Thompson
- lauthompson@epri.com
2025 Nuclear Technology Transfer Award Winners
Duke Energy Enhances SPV Reliability with EPRI PMBD API Integration, Saving $2.1M Annually
Duke Energy’s SPV program previously relied on static data and lacked a centralized mitigation platform, contributing to 105.7 days of lost generation in 2022—48.7 days tied to SPV failures. To reduce unplanned trips and forced outages, the company integrated EPRI’s PMBD API into its PHERS platform, creating a dynamic SPV application that automates tracking and embeds preventive maintenance strategies.
This integration streamlined workflows, reduced manual effort, and provided more detailed data on failure modes and maintenance needs, enabling more consistent decision making. As a result, Duke Energy lowered the risk of unplanned trips, strengthened nuclear safety margins, and improved equipment reliability.
With fewer SPV related failures and reduced downtime, the utility estimates annual savings of $2.1 million from avoided trips, lower lost megawatt costs, and labor efficiencies.
Constellation Achieves NRC Approval to Eliminate Costly BWR Reactor Vessel Circumferential Weld Inspections
Under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulation 10 CFR 50.55a, U.S. nuclear power plants must follow the in-service inspection requirements of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section XI—including inspections of Boiling Water Reactor(BWR) reactor pressure vessel (RPV) circumferential welds. In practice, these welds are very difficult to access, and full inspection is not practicable due to internal RPV structures.
EPRI's earlier research in BWRVIP-05 supported eliminating these inspections, but the technical basis had limitations. BWRVIP-329-A, published in December 2021, offers an updated and much stronger technical foundation, using modern analysis methods and replacing the previous reports. Constellation Energy was the first utility to put this updated basis into practice and secure NRC approval—achieving significant cost savings.
Entergy, NextEra, Vistra Bring a Fresh Approach to Workforce Training with EPRI’s Common Initial Training Program
Training new technicians at a nuclear plant has never been simple. Each site has traditionally developed and delivered its own training programs—and while core elements are common, the details can differ significantly. These variations make it harder for workers to move between plants and create extra hurdles when transferring qualifications, even within the same fleet. Add in higher turnover among instructors and seasoned technicians, and plants face a tough mix: more people to train, fewer people to train them, and longer delays to get new employees qualified.
To address these challenges, Entergy Operations, Inc., NextEra Energy, and Vistra Corp. teamed up with EPRI to roll out EPRI’s Common Initial Training (CIT) program—a standardized, web-based curriculum designed around established industry standards. With CIT, new employees can begin training almost immediately, easing the load on plant instructors and ensuring everyone learns from the same, high-quality materials no matter where they are located.
Vattenfall Implements First-Ever Qualified AI/ML Ultrasonic Inspection at Ringhals Unit 3
Ultrasonic inspections of PWR reactor upper head penetrations have traditionally produced massive data sets—over four miles (seven kilometers) per exam—requiring days or weeks of expert analysis. This volume strains analysts and reduces inspection efficiency and consistency.
EPRI’s AI/ML assisted analysis tool cuts the data review workload by up to 95% by filtering non relevant information and flagging areas needing expert review. In the first qualified use of AI/ML for this application, Vattenfall’s Ringhals team advanced the technology through a full scale ENIQ qualification—comparable to ASME Section XI, Appendix VIII—using existing mockups and advanced defect simulations to establish a regulatory benchmark for AI enabled inspections.
Using the EPRI tool, Vattenfall significantly improved inspection efficiency and reliability by allowing analysts to focus on critical data, reducing review time and enhancing examination quality. While early financial benefits were modest, the successful qualification paves the way for broader adoption, long term cost savings, shorter outages, and greater regulatory confidence in AI/ML based non destructive evaluation methods.
DOE Hanford Achieves First Fully Remote Closure of Radioactive Waste Canisters Using Adaptive Welding Technology
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site needed a fully remote, code-compliant welding solution to safely seal 18 dry storage systems containing high-activity cesium/strontium (Cs/Sr) capsules, a critical cleanup milestone for the site. Manual or mechanized welding was not feasible due to high radiation, restricted access, and a shortage of qualified gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) welders. The project required a system that could deliver repeatable, high-quality, leak-tight welds while meeting ASME code requirements and reducing rework risk in a mission-critical nuclear waste remediation environment.
To meet this challenge, Fluor Enterprises, Inc., Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo), and Liburdi Dimetrics applied adaptive welding research from EPRI’s Welding and Repair Technology Center to deploy a fully autonomous GTAW system at Hanford.
The project is expected to save an estimated $12 million over its two-year welding campaign by avoiding delays, weld repairs, and retraining, while eliminating worker exposure to high-radiation areas. The autonomous, remotely operated system allows work in environments where manual welding isn’t possible, eliminating both operator exposure and human-factor variability while ensuring consistent, code-compliant welds.
SNC's Graded Approach to Evaluating Updated Seismic Hazards Enhances Risk-Informed Decision Making
Insights from Seismic Probabilistic Risk Assessments (SPRAs) play a key role in supporting risk-informed decisions at nuclear plants. When new information becomes available that could affect those insights, teams need to determine how it might change the plant’s understanding of seismic risk.
After the original SPRA was completed for Southern Nuclear Operating Company’s (SNC) Plant Vogtle Units 1 and 2, new seismic hazard data emerged. Because this information differed significantly from the data used in the initial model, SNC had to determine whether it would alter the risk insights for those two units. To do this, the team followed guidance from EPRI’s Risk and Safety Management program. This approach allowed SNC to assess the new information without rebuilding the entire SPRA model-preserving its integrity and ensuring continued support for risk-informed applications.
By following EPRI’s guidance, SNC was able to evaluate the updated seismic information in a focused and efficient way, avoiding a full SPRA model overhaul. This approach saved the company as much as $5 million USD and two years of work while maintaining regulatory confidence and supporting sound decision-making. In addition to cost savings, the process improved efficiency, created a repeatable method for other utilities, and strengthened overall industry resilience. SNC’s collaboration with EPRI and project contractors offers a practical example for other nuclear operators facing similar challenges.
Kairos Power Leverages EPRI Topical Report to Qualify Fuel and Obtain Construction Permit
Fuel qualification is typically a years-long, costly process. To avoid that traditional path, Kairos Power fast-tracked licensing of its Hermes Test Reactor on a first-of-its-kind construction permit application by using EPRI’s TRISO Topical Report, developed with the Department of Energy (DOE) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), to demonstrate fuel safety to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Relying on this established technical basis allowed the company to move forward without launching a full qualification campaign, significantly shortening the regulatory review timeline.
Irradiation campaigns of TRISO fuel alone could have cost Kairos Power more than $20 million USD, not including manufacturing and analysis of results. By leveraging the topical report, the company avoided redundant testing, saving millions of dollars and thousands of labor hours. This strategy also strengthened regulatory confidence and set a valuable precedent for more efficient fuel qualification in future advanced reactor licensing.
EDF Pioneers the Use of Non-Metallics to Mitigate and Repair Active Spent Fuel Pool Leaks
French regulations require the declaration and potential repair of any leak exceeding 1.25 gallons per hour. To manage radiological risks, EDF Energy installed leakage recovery systems in all spent fuel pools in the 1990s. However, traditional repair methods that use welding are challenging due to the inability to drain the pools, meaning repairs must be conducted underwater with divers/robotics, along with other associated constraints from competing outage activities. The need for a safer, more practical alternative to traditional welding methods led EDF to pursue non-metallic repair solutions, with EPRI playing a central role in supporting the methods for inspecting and repairing the leaks, including material aging research and implementation guidance.
Non-metallic repair (NMR) methods significantly reduce implementation costs, increase the ability to access hard-to-reach areas compared to welding, and support in-situ repairs without the need to locate the exact leak point. The NMR process also avoids any thermal impacts associated with welding on the structural materials of the pool. Using this approach, EDF estimates repair costs will be cut by a factor of 10 to 20 compared to traditional welding, while also reducing downtime and associated lost generation revenue. In addition, the approach enables faster interventions, resulting in significant time savings.
The non-metallic method also enhances safety through reduced radiological exposure, eliminates personnel and divers working in hazardous environments, and avoids remote underwater inspection processes to identify the exact location of the leaks.
KHNP Uses EPRI’s Full System Equivalency Methodology to Streamline Steam Generator Eddy Current Inspections
Traditionally, steam generator (SG) eddy current testing (ECT) site validation requires checking roughly 23 essential parameters one at a time—a slow and complicated process. By adopting EPRI’s Steam Generator Management Program (SGMP) Full System Equivalency (FSE) approach, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) has been able to streamline its validation process across nuclear plant sites, reducing time and cost while achieving a more practical and meaningful demonstration of equivalency.
Using EPRI’s FSE methodology to improve SG eddy current inspection efficiency delivered major gains for KHNP. The utility saved about $124,000 USD annually in labor costs by cutting 20 man-days per unit from inspection time and shortening overall inspections by 1.5 man-days. Simplified field validation also reduced preparation time and radiation exposure, generating an additional estimated savings of $305,000 USD per year.
cost reductions, KHNP achieved more reliable inspections—reflected in 100% positive vendor feedback—and improved regulatory alignment through use of internationally recognized standards. Standardizing the FSE approach across the entire KHNP fleet supports long-term consistency, operational efficiency, and technical stability.
China National Nuclear Power (CNNP) Develops and Deploys PAA Dispersant Technology to Combat Steam Generator Fouling in Nuclear Plants
China National Nuclear Power Company Ltd. (CNNP) has taken a major step toward reducing steam generator (SG) fouling with the development and rollout of a polyacrylic acid (PAA) chemical dispersant at its Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant. SG secondary-side fouling—driven largely by transported corrosion products—can negatively impact plant performance over time, affecting heat transfer, SG tube integrity, level stability, and ultimately plant output. Over the past two decades, PAA dispersants have become a proven tool for managing secondary-side corrosion deposit accumulation in SGs by limiting particle buildup and helping loosen and remove material that would otherwise accumulate on SG surfaces.
CNNP’s introduction of this PAA technology in China’s nuclear fleet is already delivering meaningful results. By improving how effectively iron is removed through SG blowdown, the plants experience less fouling which can potentially result in reduced maintenance demands. The dispersant has shown strong performance across different operating conditions. The successful use at Fuqing has enabled further deployment as CNNP is planning development of this technology for more than 50 similar types of PWR nuclear power units.
Paks NPP Implements Industry-Proven Equipment Reliability Processes for More Efficient Long-Term Plant Operations
Paks NPP leadership introduced a new operating model to address environmental, organizational, and technological challenges at its MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant, improving the efficiency and reliability of long-term operations. Since 2022, EPRI has supported Paks NPP in implementing critical component scoping, single point vulnerability (SPV) identification, knowledge transfer, and process development. Through this work, the equipment reliability process classified approximately 450,000 components by criticality, enabling targeted preventive maintenance, monitoring, and more effective decision-making.
Paks NPP achieved significant cost savings by implementing new maintenance programs and removing unnecessary tasks—saving an estimated $230,000 USD per fuel cycle for motor-operated valves and $720,000 USD per fuel cycle for horizontal centrifugal pumps. An additional $180,000 USD per fuel cycle is expected to be saved through the planned deletion of roughly 1,600 cyclical activities.
Beyond cost savings, the project improved equipment reliability, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency, while fostering a cultural shift toward proactive maintenance and alignment with industry best practices. EPRI’s support and expertise were key in enabling these outcomes.
ENEC Builds Comprehensive Counterfeit, Fraudulent, and Suspect Items Program to Safeguard the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant
Counterfeit, fraudulent, and suspect items (CFSI) can pose real risks in a nuclear facility. With today’s advanced manufacturing tools and artificial intelligence, it’s easier than ever for bad actors to create convincing fake parts and documentation. If these items make their way into plant systems, they can lead to equipment issues, unplanned shutdowns, lost generation, and lengthy, expensive evaluations before the plant can return to normal operations.
To stay ahead of the threat, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) drew on key elements of EPRI’s Plant Reliability and Resilience Program to build a comprehensive program to prevent and detect CFSI at its Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.
ENEC’s proactive, cross-functional CFSI detection program has strengthened nuclear safety and tightened supply chain oversight across all Barakah units, significantly reducing the likelihood of counterfeit and fraudulent items affecting its plants. Between 2017 and 2025, the team flagged 70 potential cases and confirmed 11 actual CFSIs with zero safety-related failures. By catching suspect items before they’re accepted or installed, the program has helped avoid equipment issues, cut downtime risk, and keep reliable power flowing.
Dominion Energy and AXPO Power Employ Innovative Phased Array UT Solution for Rapid, Cost-Efficient Nuclear Inspections
Dominion Energy and AXPO Power partnered with EPRI and vendors in EPRI’s Nondestructive Evaluation Program (NDE) to qualify and implement a new non-encoded phased array ultrasonic testing procedure (PAUT) for reactor vessel welds. This initiative replaced older ultrasonic testing methods that relied on large search units with limited coverage and reduced sensitivity to small fabrication flaws—issues that often led to costly follow-up analyses and repeat examinations. By adopting the newly qualified PAUT procedure, the utilities significantly reduced examination time and costs while improving the reliability and safety of identifying and characterizing indications in pressure vessel welds.
Dominion completed five welds in a single shift instead of five days, reducing flaw evaluation work and saving days of engineering time, including approximately $250,000 USD in avoided evaluation costs. AXPO also benefited from expanded inspection coverage enabled by the smaller, more efficient search unit design, as well as higher ultrasonic resolution and a more intuitive display. These improvements are driving broader adoption of the new procedure across its fleet and more efficient, reliable weld assessments.
Ontario Power Generation and Conexus Nuclear Advance EPRI’s Multi-Unit Nuclear Risk Framework for CANDU Reactors
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Conexus Nuclear collaborated with EPRI to refine nuclear safety multi-unit risk assessment methodologies for Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors. Prior frameworks—developed primarily for pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and dual-unit sites—did not fully represent tightly coupled configurations of CANDU stations, creating complex inter-unit dependencies. These gaps made traditional phased approaches—starting with single-unit risk before extending to multi-unit—impractical, limiting both risk-informed decision-making and regulatory support. OPG and Conexus enhanced EPRI's multi-unit risk assessment framework to more accurately model CANDU reactor interactions, providing a stronger basis for safety evaluations and clearer guidance for future applications.
More than 90% of the world’s nuclear reactors operate at multi-unit sites. The OPG and Conexus collaboration delivered a robust risk assessment framework tailored to these environments, enhancing safety and operational planning. Improved modeling of multi-unit interactions reduces uncertainty in risk assessments and supports stronger regulatory alignment by providing a structured, defensible approach for meeting regulatory requirements for multi-unit risk evaluations. The updated methodology also removes the need for phased single-unit assessments, reducing resource requirements and shortening project timelines. Beyond this implementation, the work helps establish best practices for multi-unit risk modeling applicable to future reactor designs, including small modular reactors (SMRs).