Small Modular Reactors: Still too expensive, too slow and too risky
|
| |
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) ^
| May 29, 2024 | David Schlissel and Dennis Wamsted
Key Findings * Small modular reactors still look to be too expensive, too slow to build, and too risky to play a significant role in transitioning from fossil fuels in the coming 10-15 years. * Investment in SMRs will take resources away from carbon-free and lower-cost renewable technologies that are available today
and can push the transition from fossil fuels forward significantly in the coming 10 years. * Experience with operating and proposed SMRs shows that the reactors will continue to cost far more and take much longer to build than promised by proponents. * Regulators, utilities, investors and government...
|
|
|
Gillette-Based Machinery Company To Build, Lease Tiny Nuclear Reactors In Wyoming
|
| |
Cowboy State Daily ^
| April 24, 2024 | Pat Maio
Gillette-based L&H Industrial, a 60-year-old industrial machinery company in the coal-rich Powder River Basin, has partnered with nuclear technology innovator BWX Technologies as part of a blockbuster deal to launch a multibillion-dollar industry in the micro nuclear reactor field. A
Wyoming company with international clout that’s bolstered the state’s energy industries for decades is jumping into the nuclear business. Gillette-based L&H Industrial Inc., a 60-year-old stalwart industrial machinery company in the coal-rich Powder River Basin, has partnered with nuclear technology innovator BWX Technologies Inc. (BWXT) as part of a blockbuster deal to launch a multibillion-dollar industry in the micro nuclear...
|
|
|
Sweden plans new nuclear reactors by 2035, will share costs
|
| |
Reuters ^
STOCKHOLM, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Sweden's government said it aimed to build the equivalent of two new conventional nuclear reactors by 2035 on Thursday to meet surging demand for clean power from industry and transport and was prepared to take on some of the costs. By
2045 the government wants to have the equivalent of 10 new reactors, some of which are likely to be small modular reactors (SMRs), smaller than conventional reactors. Energy Minister Ebba Busch said the government was planning a "massive build out" of new nuclear power by 2045. "It's decisive for the green transition, for Swedish...
|
|
|
Twitter Erupts With Rumors Ukraine Will Blow up Zaporizhzhia NPP and Blame it on Russia Tonight. Ukraine Claims Russia Has Planted Explosives on Roof of Two Reactors
|
| |
Twitter ^
| July 4th, 2023 | Jack Posobiec
Aaaand here we go Much more at thread...
|
|
|
Germany ends nuclear era as last reactors power down
|
| |
France24 ^
| April 15, 2023
Berlin (AFP) – Germany will switch off its last three nuclear reactors on Saturday, exiting atomic power even as it seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels and manage an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. While many Western countries are upping their investments in atomic energy to reduce their
emissions, Germany is bringing an early end to its nuclear age. Europe's largest economy has been looking to leave behind nuclear power since 2002, but the phase-out was accelerated by former chancellor Angela Merkel in 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. The exit decision was popular...
|
|
|
France considers 20-year extension for 60-year-old nuclear reactors
|
| |
Hotair via Le Monde ^
| 01/24/2023
Will French nuclear power plants be able to operate for up to 80 years? What
will be the cumulative effects of climate change on reactors? What will happen to future radioactive waste? On Tuesday, January 24, senators are expected to adopt the nuclear acceleration bill, which aims to facilitate the start of work on the sites where six new European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) could be built. Concurrently, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has called for a “global and systemic” reflection on safety issues as part of the debate on the future of the energy system.The discussions need to cover...
|
|
|
Miniature nuclear reactors could be the answer to sustainable datacenter growth
|
| |
The Register ^
| 12/31/2022 | Tobias Mann
Datacenters use a lot of power and despite our best efforts, a big chunk of that still comes from burning fossil fuels. But
what if instead of relying on local utilities for power, these facilities generated their own – maybe using a relatively itty-bitty nuclear reactor?In a recent report, Omdia analysts Alan Howard and Vladimir Galabov made the case that using small modular reactors (SMRs) to power large datacenters might not be as crazy as it sounds.As the name suggests, SMRs are essentially just miniaturized reactors. Instead of a massive facility producing gigawatts or more of power, SMRs are designed...
|
|
|
US Nuclear Reactors Among The Oldest In The World
|
| |
Nation and State ^
| 11/26/2022 | Tyler Durden
The United States' 92 nuclear reactors currently in operation have a mean age of 41.6 years, the third oldest in the world. As
Statista's Katharina Buchholz reports, the only nuclear fleets that are older are those of Switzerland (46.3 years) and Belgium (42.3 years). Also older are the singular reactors in use in Armenia and the Netherlands.You will find more infographics at StatistaThe U.S. was among the first commercial adopters of nuclear energy in the 1950s, explaining the number of aging reactors today. A building boom between the 1960s and 1970s created today’s nuclear power plants in the United States....
|
|
|
France’s Nuclear Reactors Malfunction as Energy Crisis Bites
|
| |
/internationalaffairs.co ^
| October 23, 2022
Twenty-six of France’s 56 nuclear reactors are offline for maintenance or because of corrosion on piping that cools the reactor cores. Fixing
the corrosion is taking longer than expected at several reactors, delaying their restart by as much as six weeks, according to regulatory filings and a French nuclear executive familiar with the matter. Labor unrest is another obstacle. Strikes at 18 reactors owned by EDF SA, France’s state-controlled power giant, have delayed their restart by several weeks, threatening the government’s plans to have all of them back online by the end of the winter. EDF and union leaders said...
|
|
|
France’s EDF Vows To Restart All Nuclear Reactors By Winter
|
| |
OilPrice.com ^
| Sep 02, 2022 | Michael Kern
France’s state-held utility giant EDF will restart all its nuclear reactors in the country this winter, potentially alleviating the energy crisis in Europe during peak heating season. Currently,
more than half of EDF’s reactors are out of operation either because of maintenance or technical issues. “EDF has committed to restart all its reactors for this winter,” French Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said at a news conference on energy security on Friday. EDF operates a total of 56 reactors in France, but 32 of them are currently either undergoing maintenance or experiencing technical issues, the minister added. Every week starting...
|
|
|
Minister: All French nuclear reactors to restart by winter
|
| |
The Associated Press ^
| September 2, 2022
PARIS (AP) — France’s minister for energy transition said Friday that French electricity giant EDF has committed to restart all its nuclear reactors by this winter to help the country through the broad energy crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine. Agnes Pannier-Runacher said the government is taking steps to “avoid restrictive
measures” over energy use in the peak winter cold season, following a special government meeting over energy issues. France relies on nuclear energy for about 67% of its electricity — more than any other country — and on gas for about 7%. At the moment, 32 of the...
|
|
|
Japan wants up to 9 nuclear reactors running this winter
|
| |
nikkei.com ^
| Updated on July 15, 2022 01:31 JST
Japan will have as many as nine nuclear reactors in operation this winter, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday, seeking to ensure stable power supplies during peak demand. With
five reactors currently running, the additions would boost combined capacity from nuclear power to around 10% of the country's electricity needs amid concerns of a power crunch this winter. "We want to have ample capacity to ensure a stable supply of electricity during peak times," Kishida said. "The national government will take the lead" on restarting these reactors, "making tenacious efforts to secure the understanding and cooperation of local governments and...
|
|
|
Does Nuclear Energy Have a Future in the US? A Promising Technology could be reactors scaled down to small size, known as small modular reactors or SMRs
|
| |
American Thinker ^
| 06/19/2022 | William Levin
Outside the United States, nuclear is entering a golden era, especially in China. There is a record building boom in current and announced plants, including more than 225 plants in China alone. Costs
are being driven down to exceptionally affordable levels. Best practice current nuclear plants deliver costs of $0.05/kwh versus the average U.S. electric bill of $0.14/kwh. Most impressively, technology is rapidly evolving to safe, low-waste fourth-generation technology, or GEN IV, expected to be commercialized by 2030. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, GEN IV high-temperature, low-pressure plants "offer impressive safety features and can be easy to construct...
|
|
|
INSANELY VULNERABLE: If Russia cuts off supply of enriched uranium to US power companies, America’s nuclear energy reactors will close within a year
|
| |
chaos.news ^
| 6/15/22 | Ethan Huff
Former Department of Energy (DoE) Under Secretary Paul Dabbar and Columbia University energy researcher Matt Bowen have published a report warning that America’s energy crisis could soon get a whole lot worse if Russia stops selling enriched uranium to nuclear power plants. If
supplies get cut, they say, then many United States nuclear power generation facilities would be forced offline within a year. The result would be much less energy availability and sky-high prices even beyond current inflation figures. Nuclear power accounts for more than 20 percent of all U.S. electricity generation capacity, and nearly half of the country’s 56...
|
|
|
ENERGY
South Korea bets big on small reactors in return to nuclear
|
| |
Nikkei Asia ^
SEOUL -- South Korean industrial giants like SK and Samsung are stepping up operations in nuclear power, zeroing in on small, easier-to-build reactors, as the country pivots back to nuclear energy under a new president. SK
announced in May a wide-ranging partnership with Bill Gates-founded startup TerraPower with a focus on small reactors, spanning technology development and commercialization. With energy company SK Innovation taking on a central role, SK seeks to harness the group's expertise in each step, from development to installation to operation. TerraPower plans to build a midsize next-generation demonstration reactor, slated to come online around 2028, in...
|
|
|
Head of IAEA updates attack on nuclear plant: No radiation released, reactors not compromised
|
| |
Fox News ^
| 3/4/22 | Brie Stimson
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed in a press conference from Vienna, Austria, that a training facility building at the Zaporizhzhia Power Plant in Ukraine was hit by a Russian projectile and Ukrainian fire fighters extinguished the ensuing fire. “We
are fortunate there was no release of radiation and the integrity of the reactors was not compromised,” Gross said in the press conference, but said it’s time for “action. “We need to do something about this.” He said he wants to head to Chernobyl for a meeting so that both sides of the conflict...
|
|
|
DeepMind applies AI to controlling nuclear fusion reactors
|
| |
Venture Beat ^
| 02 16 2022 | Staff
DeepMind, the AI lab backed by Google parent company Alphabet, today announced that it used AI to successfully control superheated matter inside a nuclear fusion reactor. The
lab claims that the system, which is detailed in a paper published in the journal Nature, could allow scientists to investigate how such matter reacts under different conditions. While DeepMind remains engaged in prestige projects like systems that can beat champions at StarCraft II and Go, the lab has in recent years turned its attention to more practical domains, such as code generation, language processing, weather forecasting, app recommendations, and video compression. DeepMind...
|
|
|
France to build up to 14 new nuclear reactors by 2050, says Macron
|
| |
The guardian ^
| Thu 10 Feb 2022 13.12 EST | Angelique Chrisafis
Atomic energy provides about 70% of French electricity, and low-cost nuclear power has been a mainstay of the French economy since the 1970s, but recent attempts to build new-generation reactors to replace older models have become mired in cost overruns and delays. Presidential
candidates on the right have supported more nuclear power plants saying France should have “sovereignty” over its electricity, while detractors on the left have warned of the cost and complexity of building new reactors. Environmentalists have raised safety concerns over radioactive waste that remains deadly for tens of thousands of years. Macron said French nuclear regulators were...
|
|
|
Macron humiliated: France facing blackouts as 10 nuclear reactors shut over safety fears
|
| |
Express (U.K.) ^
| Fri, Jan 14, 2022 | Jacob Paul
FRANCE is reportedly facing blackouts as 10 of its nuclear reactors have shut down, spelling chaos for President Emmanuel Macron.The latest nuclear shutdown in France was announced by state energy giant EDF today. They
said cracks were found near welds on a safety cooling system for two reactors at the Civaux plant in central France during routine safety checks. And EDF decided to shut down another two reactors at its Chooz plant in the eastern Ardennes region as a precaution because they are built to the same design. Karine Herviou, deputy chief executive of the French nuclear safety regulator IRSN,...
|
|
|
Design and Operation of LENR Reactors
|
| |
14th International Workshop on Anomalies in Hydrogen Loaded Metals -- IWAHLM14, Page 11 ^
| August 2021 | Egeli
Egeli - Design and Operation of Lenr Reactors George Egely Contrary to the general belief, LENR phenomenon is much richer than generally expected. Usually
the electrochemical or hot nickel, hydrogen diffusion-based reactors are known. Most of the published test results are from this area. Even in this area there are less commonly known, smart reactor designs, like Matsumoto's flat bottom cathode, light water-based reactors, or Parkhomov's separate heater/diffusion chamber reactors. Some of these reactors are discussed. The other major group is the dust-based, oscillating plasma reactors. In fact, this is the most important, most frequent form of LENR in...
|
|