Natural Resources committee  Yes, our timeframe is shorter. We hope that by 2023 we could have a prototype up and running. I can't warrant that date, but we are that optimistic because the particular concept is a variation on reactors that have been built before. We found that innovation can lead you to adop

Natural Resources committee  We've given consideration to it, and I cannot pretend I can predict social response that far into the future. Therefore, our approach has been to try to develop this reactor in countries that have nuclear expertise, but to design a reactor that one of my Korean colleagues said is

Natural Resources committee  The barrier is the length of time it takes to show the device operates as you predict. There's this profound enhancement and modelling capability, a huge database that was not available in the previous century, and these side tests that you can do. The barrier, basically, is to f

Natural Resources committee  My impression—and please take it as an impression, since I haven't look at it for a while—is that it is somewhat stagnant. But I would not like to present this as the latest information. That would be five years ago.

Natural Resources committee  No.

Natural Resources committee  Right now the funding has been entirely private. It has been from Mr. Gates and other visionary investors. The government has been very supportive, helping us in ways it can to allow us to have discussions on a foreign basis as well as domestically. They've been very cooperative

Natural Resources committee  I think there is. We pay for CRADA's joint development things, but some of the stuff they've had available they've gone ahead at their own expense, whereas the specific tests conducted precisely for us have used our funds. But, yes, indeed, because we generated this interest, a t

Natural Resources committee  Right now, of course, they're tax credits because we're not profitable. But my experience in the past with renewables, for example, and some nuclear stuff.... One of the great times in California, when I was doing this sort of work, was when the regulators would allow research to

Natural Resources committee  First of all, our approach is not very small, but I'll be happy to talk about the proliferation advantages and safety advantages. Proliferation advantage comes mainly from the fact that the fuel is left inside the reactor for some length of time. The proliferation advantage com

Natural Resources committee  I'll start with the second first. No, no Canadian agencies have contacted us. I had experience decades ago with Canadians who were working on fusion and nuclear, but that's a decades-old experience. We are trying to interest large companies in the United States, Japan, Korea, et

Natural Resources committee  Yes, small modular reactors are a possibility. In the type of reactor we talk about, some of these inherent advantages are accrued only in the larger types of reactors. Ours tend to be in the range of a few hundred megawatts and above.

Natural Resources committee  Our focus is on materials and fuels. Because this particular type of reactor does not have to be fuelled very often—in fact, in some versions the initial load of fuel will last for decades—it means that the materials and the fuels that are in the reactor have to be warranted to b

Natural Resources committee  Yes, we have. They are preliminary. We have worked out with experts in the field a licensing plan and what sorts of things you would have to do to gain that licence. One of the advantages we have is that very similar reactors have been licensed before.

Natural Resources committee  To a prototype, it will take several billion dollars. That's what I can tell you right now, that it's in the order of $4 billion for a prototype. The research and design budgets are about a quarter of that.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, they are. Right now we're in preliminary discussions with a number of companies.