EV Grid Capacity - TVA Unveils Major New Nuclear Program using SMRs (Snall Modular Reactor) citing future demand for EVs

[Zoidz]

TVA has annnounced $200 million funding for "a plant design, an NRC license application, and a robust project plan.” ...... "It potentially involves up to a doubling of electricity production as society uses clean energy to decarbonize the broader economy through technologies like electric transportation, which we can see gaining momentum every day.....”

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[Eeyore]

Just 1 question. What's a "snall" modular reactor? JK

Like NuScale? Developed locally, to me, in Corvallis, OR at Oregon State University. I support nuclear power as a non-carbon producing power source.

 

[Craigins]

Just 1 question. What's a "snall" modular reactor? JK

Like NuScale? Developed locally, to me, in Corvallis, OR at Oregon State University. I support nuclear power as a non-carbon producing power source.

Ha small yeah. NuScale is big on the small modular reactors. They are planning their first site at Idaho National Lab to power a group of towns in Utah (UAMPS). In case you're serious, the goal is to make the modules small enough to be factory produced and thus cut down on the construction cost considerably. Then you string 10-12 together at one site for a large power plant.

I was more surprised that TVA is going for advanced reactors (smrs are not advanced reactors, they are just smaller versions of the deployed reactors we have today). Still a lot of undetermined factors with advanced reactors.

 

[ads75]

I find it hard to get excited about new nuclear news. Seems like every few years there's a flurry of activity or plans that never really fully materialize. Smaller reactors should be more scalable and more cost effective/less financial risk, than something like VC Summer, or the one/two that should actually be completed, Vogtle.

 

[Zool]

Following fifty years of inexplicably bad decisions that made the Canadian Candu program a failure, CNL is going all-in on these SMRs. Gen 3 reactors, with all of their problems, made smaller. Where "small" is supposed to mean safe...

Now, I'm a big proponent of nuclear power. But not this. With Gen 4, molten-salt reactors in their proof of concept phase, like TerraPower's Wyoming project and whatever is going on in China, these SMR's will be obsolete before one even gets built. They might have some small future in Arctic research stations, but they likely won't be a contributor to the global power grid.

 

[ads75]

Following fifty years of inexplicably bad decisions that made the Canadian Candu program a failure, CNL is going all-in on these SMRs. Gen 3 reactors, with all of their problems, made smaller. Where "small" is supposed to mean safe...

Now, I'm a big proponent of nuclear power. But not this. With Gen 4, molten-salt reactors in their proof of concept phase, like TerraPower's Wyoming project and whatever is going on in China, these SMR's will be obsolete before one even gets built. They might have some small future in Arctic research stations, but they likely won't be a contributor to the global power grid.

Not sure which newer style of nuclear plants will be built in the US, if ever, but to say the SMRs will be obsolete before even built seems a bit premature to say seeing as a good number of nuclear plants in the US are currently getting close to 40-50 years old. I do admit I don't know the projected life cycle for the newer plants.

 

[Zool]

to say the SMRs will be obsolete before even built seems a bit premature...

Perhaps. I'm referring to the technology as much as the product. After Fukushima and an amazing HBO miniseries, this style of reactor is a hard sell, even to non-environmentalists. Sodium reactors and (dare I say it?) fusion should be the future.

 

[Craigins]

Perhaps. I'm referring to the technology as much as the product. After Fukushima and an amazing HBO miniseries, this style of reactor is a hard sell, even to non-environmentalists. Sodium reactors and (dare I say it?) fusion should be the future.

the technology is already 60 years old. The purpose of the SMR design is for modularity, so new plants don't initially cost billions/tens of billions to build before going online.

There are a few additional safety aspects built into the SMR designs I've seen from NuScale. I haven't seen the GE one referenced in the article.

That you reference the HBO series as amazing is a bit amusing to me. Garbage media and ignorant public are the only 2 things holding nuclear back.

 

[Zool]

the technology is already 60 years old. The purpose of the SMR design is for modularity, so new plants don't initially cost billions/tens of billions to build before going online.

There are a few additional safety aspects built into the SMR designs I've seen from NuScale. I haven't seen the GE one referenced in the article.

That you reference the HBO series as amazing is a bit amusing to me. Garbage media and ignorant public are the only 2 things holding nuclear back.

The purpose of the SMR design is not in question. The practicality of it is. I've spoken with engineers and reactor techs who agree. Obviously Chernobyl (the show) fueled even more unfortunate hesitance about nuclear power, hence my comment. The question of what constitutes "garbage media" versus "good drama" is a question of personal taste. Apparently you didn't like it.

In the current age of rapid technological advancement, a 60 year old design in a smaller package hardly constitutes progress.

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