The problem is constructing the first small nuclear reactor in the United States, yet they may power in the decades to come.
In the future, nuclear power plants may grow smaller, simpler, and easier to construct, potentially revolutionizing a power source that is becoming more and more important to the move away from fossil fuels. The deployment of new plants might be accelerated by new designs known as small modular reactors, or SMRs for short, as demand for clean electricity rises from manufacturing, electric cars, and artificially intelligent systems.
Concerns about an impending shortage of electricity are raised as utilities around the nation retire coal units as part of the energy transition. Since nuclear energy is the most dependable power source now in use and doesn't release carbon dioxide, it is seen as a potential answer.
Large plants require a lot of money and effort to build. Southern Co. constructed the first new nuclear reactors in Georgia in decades, although the project was completed seven years later than expected and at a cost of over $30 billion. With a power capacity of little more than 300 megawatts, tiny modular reactors are around one-third the size of the typical reactors in the existing American fleet. The intention is to construct them in an assembly line-like manner, with plants leaving factories in small parts that are assembled on location.
The Nuclear power Institute's chief nuclear officer, Doug True, told media that "they're a smaller bite from a capital perspective." Since the size of coal plants is usually larger than the design space of a tiny modular reactor, they are ideal for replacing retired power plants. Getting the first small modular reactor constructed in the United States is a difficulty. Globally, there are just three SMRs in operation, based to the Nuclear Energy Authority. Two are in China and Russia, the United States' two main geopolitical foes. Japan also has a functioning test reactor.
It is widely acknowledged among nuclear business leaders that tiny modular reactors will not become commercially viable until the 2030s. Due to inflation and high borrowing rates, NuScale's ambitious project to install SMRs at an Idaho site was postponed last year. The project's cost increased from $5 billion to $9 billion. The largest obstacle to commercializing the technology at the moment, according to Eric Carr, chief of nuclear operations at Dominion Energy, is controlling the expenses of a unique project. Carr told media , "Nobody wants to be first exactly, but somebody has to be." "Once it gets going, the country's grid will have a great, dependable source of power."
Rule Energy Dominion is now assessing if it makes feasible to construct a tiny modular reactor at its nuclear facility in Louisa County, Virginia, northwest of Richmond, at its North Anna nuclear plant. Less than 100 miles north of the facility, in Loudoun County, is the largest data center market in the world and is part of the utility's coverage region. Because artificial intelligence utilizes greater amounts of energy, it is anticipated that the demand for electricity from these computer server warehouses will increase. According to projections, Dominion's data center peak power usage would more than double to 6.4 gigawatts by 2030 and triple to 13.4 gigawatts by 2038.
In July, Dominion requested proposals from SMR technology companies to assess the viability of building a small reactor at North Anna. Carr said there has been a lot of interest in the proposal process. According to Carr, the utility is currently collaborating with vendors to ensure that they comprehend Dominion's requirements and to determine what technologies would be appropriate.
Carr stated, "In our particular situation at Dominion, we have an obligation to our consumers to ensure we can satisfy the needs of this development, and we also have an obligation to our shareholders to do the proper item, but we have to balance both of those interests." Dominion has not yet committed to building an SMR, but one planning scenario calls for the construction of six of these reactors beginning in 2034. Because of nuclear power's dependability and potential to combat climate change, the tech corporations that are spearheading the data center growth have also expressed an increasing interest in it. According to Carr, Dominion is in talks with a few clients about working together to make SMRs a reality.
"We are currently engaged in conversations with technology vendors and major clients who ask, 'How might this be achieved if we collaborate?'" Carr stated.
Holtec Enterprises
The privately held nuclear technology business Holtec International is attempting to steer the sector in two different directions. The business is currently working to bring the nuclear station Palisades in Michigan back online, marking the first instance of a plant that had stopped operating returning to service.
In the early 2030s, Holtec also intends to add two compact reactors to Palisades, almost doubling the plant's capacity for power. Holtec President Kelly Trice stated, "At least six utilities have expressed an interest in participating in restarting Palisades and building the small reactors," without naming the utilities.
According to Trice, media, "if they get involved, they can get all of those unpleasant lessons acquired without having to pay for them." When the plant is constructed at their location, it is either the second, third, or fourth, and once you've learnt all your instruction, it usually becomes much less expensive. Holtec intends to create an order book to "continuously produce the components to do this for whatever facility is needed" when the first SMR is built at Palisades, according to Trice.
Pressurized water reactors, like the majority of facilities now in operation in the U.S. fleet, are the basis of Holtec's SMR design. "However, with some sophisticated safety features that don't require human intervention, making them easier to use, require fewer personnel, and require less upkeep," Trice stated. Moreover, it is repeatable. Every SMR should fundamentally be the same, according to our goal," he stated.
Star Cluster Energy
Constellation Energy, the biggest nuclear facility operator in the United States, is also looking into the potential of erecting a small reactor at one of its sites. The fact that communities are already accepting of nuclear power is one reason behind the industry trend of updating older plants with tiny reactors. According to Kathleen Barrón, chief strategy officer at Constellation, the required land, water, electricity supply, and security footprint are also currently accessible.
According to Barrón, the objective is to collaborate with a client that wants to hire power from one of Constellation's current plants, and then utilize that facility to "host an SMR to offer higher renewable energy to that customer in the future." According to Barrón, "this will only happen if there are clients that are enthusiastic in purchasing the offtake from those reactors and there is supporting state policy similar to what states have done with offshore wind."
As coal is phased out, natural gas will serve as a bridge toward less polluting energy until the next technology becomes available, thus for the time being, the shift to cleaner energy will require an all-above strategy, according to Dominion's Carr. He declared, "SMR might just be that next technology."
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