Advanced Small
Modular Reactors
– What People Are Saying
SMALL MODULAR REACTORS: WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO DEPLOYMENT?
By Charles McCombie, Nuclear Engineering International
Could small modular reactors be a game changer in nuclear energy’s contribution to tackling climate change? Nuclear Engineering International examines the market, barriers to deployment and what is needed to overcome them.
EXPANDING NUCLEAR ENERGY TO THE ARCTIC: THE POTENTIAL OF SMALL MODULAR REACTORS
By Julia Nesheiwat, Atlantic Council
The continued development of small modular reactors (SMRs) offers a potential opportunity to overcome many of the hindrances presented by larger nuclear power plants, including high costs, complex supply chains, large physical infrastructure, and unsuitability in harsh environments, such as the Arctic.
ENTREPRENEURS LOOK TO SMALL-SCALE NUCLEAR REACTORS
By Michael Abrams, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The solution, say some nuclear advocates, is to give up on gigawatt-scale, bespoke plants and—following in the footsteps of other energy system—go small and modular. Small modular reactors (SMRs), which would generate tens or a few hundreds of megawatts, would have a lower price tag to be sure. But they could also prove to be safer and take advantage of more advanced technology.
AN URBANIST CASE FOR SMALL NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS
By Shaun Kuo, The Urbanist
Supposed benefits of SMRs and their improvement in fission energy may make them compelling options for growing urban communities in search of non-carbon energy sources. If the technology proves to live up to its promises, it could revive America’s nuclear industry and help provide our cities with fossil free power.
ADVANCED NUCLEAR: A CLIMATE-TECH COMEBACK STORY
By Ben Soltoff, GreenBiz
There’s no denying real and grave risks when things go wrong with nuclear power. That may be why nuclear engineering has faltered in the U.S. over the past few decades. A new generation of nuclear technology could change the outlook. Its proponents are attempting to fix the flaws of the past and fulfill a new vision for the future, one that they hope will feature nuclear fission as a plentiful, low-carbon energy source.
IN BOOST TO CANADA’S NUCLEAR ROADMAP, OPG ADVANCES WORK WITH THREE SMR DEVELOPERS
By POWER Magazine
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) took another step to bolster plans to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ontario, announcing it is advancing engineering and design work with three major advanced nuclear reactor developers: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Terrestrial Energy, and X-energy. OPG’s decision to further engineering and design work with the three advanced nuclear reactor vendors—each of which are developing distinct designs—are notable from a utility investment perspective.
HOW THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY
By National Review
Last week, the future of nuclear energy got an immense boost. U.S. officials greenlit America’s first-ever commercial small modular reactor, to be constructed in eastern Idaho by a company called NuScale Power. The first will be built by 2029, with eleven more to follow by 2030. NuScale Power’s recently approved design marks a landmark achievement for the future of nuclear energy: the move towards smaller, more high-tech nuclear reactors — a type dominated by private-sector competition. These small modular reactors (SMRs) represent a real chance for energy innovation in the United States, and an opportunity to lead the world.
BILL GATES’ NUCLEAR REACTOR COMPANY ADDS MOLTEN SALT STORAGE TO ITS SMR SYSTEM
By Greentech Media
TerraPower, the Bill Gates-backed nuclear innovation firm, has launched a new small modular reactor system paired with a molten salt storage unit. The new concept, dubbed Natrium, is being developed in partnership with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. According to the pair, it could be used to boost a 345-megawatt small modular reactor (SMR) to around 500 megawatts for a period of up to five hours.
ENERGY CAST PODCAST: THE FUTURE OF NEXT-GEN NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES
By Power Engineering
The U.S. and other developed nations have a challenge meeting zero-carbon goals of the coming decades. They want dramatic carbon reduction in their electricity sector, but renewables cannot provide 24/7 baseload power. Nuclear’s small modular reactor industry is a sector right on the cusp of final regulatory acceptance and potential widespread deployment. SMRs such as those developed by NuScale Power and other companies offer the same carbon-free, full-time capacity of conventional large reactor projects, but they would offer a smaller footprint and less expensive construction phase.
US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY BACKS PROPOSED SMR REGULATION
By World Nuclear News
The US Department of Energy (DOE) “strongly supports” the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) proposal to apply risk-based emergency preparedness requirements to small modular reactors (SMRs) and other new technologies. DOE said the NRC’s proposed rule is “the next step in determining the appropriate Emergency Planning Zone size for SMRs and is crucial for the US nuclear industry and the overall development of the technology”.
OKLO SUBMITS FIRST ADVANCED REACTOR LICENSE APPLICATION IN US AS NRC MOVES TO STREAMLINE REVIEWS
By Matthew Bandyk, Utility Dive
Oklo, a developer of a micro nuclear reactor design that it claims will be a technological leap ahead of current operating power reactors, has become the first of the so-called “advanced reactors” to submit a combined construction and operating license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
SMALL NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS
World Nuclear Association
Today, due partly to the high capital cost of large power reactors generating electricity via the steam cycle and partly to the need to service small electricity grids under about 4 GWe, there is a move to develop smaller units. These may be built independently or as modules in a larger complex, with capacity added incrementally as required . Economies of scale are envisaged due to the numbers produced. There are also moves to develop independent small units for remote sites. Small units are seen as a much more manageable investment than big ones whose cost often rivals the capitalization of the utilities concerned.
THESE TINY NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS COULD BE, WELL, HUGE
By Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics
Rolls-Royce has taken a sharp right turn, from making million-dollar luxury sedans to researching cutting-edge nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs). Modular reactors are au courant in energy technology, and Rolls-Royce joins startups and governments around the world in trying to shrink the footprint and increase the safety of nuclear energy.
NUCLEAR POWER: THE ROAD TO A CARBON FREE FUTURE
International Atomic Energy Agency
Today, nuclear power provides 10% of the world’s electricity. But to stem climate change, we’re going to need far greater amounts of clean and reliable energy. Thirty countries currently operate nuclear power plants. More than two dozen others are looking at nuclear energy to meet their power and climate needs. In the western United States, more than 30 towns and cities are also looking to the future. They want to go carbon free. And they’re betting on small modular reactors (SMRs) to get there.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TINY NUCLEAR REACTORS
By Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics
Last week’s news of NUSCALE’S MODULAR NUCLEAR REACTOR, which can fit by the dozens into the space of one traditional nuclear plant cooling tower, resonated because of its tiny size and safety in numbers. And while NuScale takes the cake in terms of the smallest footprint and tonnage in this space, there are similar modular reactors in the late development and regulatory stages.
EDF AND WESTINGHOUSE IN TALKS TO DEVELOP SMR NUCLEAR REACTOR
By Geert De Clercq, Reuters
French state-controlled utility EDF and French nuclear state agency CEA are in talks with U.S. nuclear reactor builder Westinghouse to develop a Small Modular Reactor (SMR)
In a joint statement by CEA, EDF, defense firm Naval Group and nuclear propulsion specialist TechnicAtome, they said their jointly developed “Nuward” SMR project aims to build a 300-400 megawatt (MW) pressurized water reactor by the late 2020s and that it is open to international cooperation.
DOE ACCELERATES LONG-AWAITED USER FACILITY UPGRADES
By Will Thomas, American Institute of Physics
With recent funding increases, the Department of Energy is advancing a suite of upgrades to its light and neutron source scientific user facilities, helping them remain competitive with European facilities. Meanwhile, there are new discussions about building a new reactor-based neutron source, even as Congress pushes ahead with a different reactor for nuclear energy R&D.
SMALL NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS
World Nuclear Association
Today, due partly to the high capital cost of large power reactors generating electricity via the steam cycle and partly to the need to service small electricity grids under about 4 GWe, there is a move to develop smaller units. These may be built independently or as modules in a larger complex, with capacity added incrementally as required.
