There are quite a few interesting aspects about this project.
I'll try to summarize as I remember.<p>The reactor uses molten salt to cool the core. Unlike conventional reactors the generated heat is not pumped directly into a heat exchanger to generate steam, but is instead pumped into a storage tank. The same tank can then be accessed from outside the nuclear building, which they claim, allows them to build the whole power station component to industrial standards rather than nuclear power plant standards, which is a cost saving.<p>The more interesting aspect of the molten salt storage tank is that it is effective a huge battery. It can be used to ramp up the power to meet demand without having to touch the core. This means that such nuclear power plants could work well in conjunction with intermittent energy sources (wind, solar, ...etc) without the need for a gas peaker plant. In the past a big problem with nuclear was that it was an all or nothing option, as people thought it was not compatible with other kinds of energy sources due to its inability to react quickly to meet demand. This is very promising.