Released December 28, 2010 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) could create an entirely new manufacturing sector in the U.S., generating up to 60,000 new jobs in the U.S., while helping reduce the projected growth of carbon dioxide emissions around the world, Terry Michalske, director of the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Savannah River National Laboratory, told attendees at the keynote session of the annual POWER-GEN International event held in Orlando, Florida, this month.
"Small modular reactors can be a game-changing technology," Michalske told about 1,500 attendees at the keynote session on Dec. 14. "Over the coming decades, the large increases in electric use will come from developing countries," he said, citing an Energy Information Administration (EIA) study that projected developing nations will increase their overall energy use by 85% by 2035. These nations are expected to basically double their use of coal over the next 25 years, which will increase global carbon dioxide emissions by 45%, according to the study by the EIA, which is the statistical arm of the DoE. Savannah River is one of several DoE laboratories working on nuclear issues.
"We don't understand the exact connection between CO2 emissions and global climate change, but if we stay on the path we're on, there will be a collision in the future, at which point we'll find out who's right," he said.
Citing Sen. John Warner, the DoE official observed that "energy security is a three-legged stool: environmental stewardship, national security and economic prosperity. If you remove one leg, the stool falls over."
Building these reactors, which would range from 100 megawatts (MW) to 300 MW and utilize a variety of next-generation designs, could create an entirely new manufacturing industry in America, employing more than 60,000 people, Michalske said, citing a study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank. "SMRs can be an engine to drive job creation and economic development," he added.
"We need to revitalize this nation's nuclear power industry," Michalske told attendees. "SMRs could help us recapture leadership in nuclear power, provide tremendous economic stimulus, and create an entirely new manufacturing base in this country."
By locating these SMRs near load centers in developing nations, those countries could forego the expense of building a national electricity transmission infrastructure, he said. Unlike the U.S., developing nations tend to have a disproportionately high percentage of their population clustered in a few cities, including their capitals.
"SMRs are not meant to displace large reactors, just serve a different type of market," the DoE official continued. "It's not a question of which reactor--large or small--is better. Rather, it comes down to understanding local market needs. Not every market needs extremely large generation sources." Island nations like Guam, for example, could replace existing diesel-fired electric generation, which costs about 28 cents per kilowatt-hour, with SMRs, Michalske said. SMRs also could provide secure and reliable energy for U.S. military bases, both domestically and abroad, he added.
Noting that SMRs "could come in a variety of flavors," Michalske told the attendees there were three basic types of small modular reactors: water-cooled, gas-cooled, and liquid-metal-cooled. None have been built yet, and Michalske did not hazard a guess as to when the first one would be built. But he said SMRs offer a variety of advantages over conventional large reactors, including the following:
SMRs also could help their owners and project developers manage their investment risk, Michalske said. "One way to deploy SMRs would be to group them together instead of building one large reactor. That way, if you're halfway through building (this type of multi-reactor complex) and you realize that you've misjudged market need, you can stop and still have functioning nuclear reactors," he said. "With traditional nuclear reactors, if you stop construction halfway through an $8 billion reactor, you have half an $8 billion reactor" that generates no electricity.
But Michalske recognized the formidable hurdles facing SMRs, including the fact that none of them have an approved reactor design from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (Bethesda, Maryland). Getting regulatory approval for these SMRs is one of the biggest challenges facing equipment vendors and power developers.
"Ultimately, SMRs will have to compete with natural gas and other fuels, and the price of carbon will play a large part in determining the economic viability of SMRs," he said. Michalske lauded the research and development partnerships between the U.S. government and private companies have been responsible for developing the current SMR designs, and he said continuation of these public-private partnerships were necessary to commercialize the proposed SMRs reactor designs.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
"Small modular reactors can be a game-changing technology," Michalske told about 1,500 attendees at the keynote session on Dec. 14. "Over the coming decades, the large increases in electric use will come from developing countries," he said, citing an Energy Information Administration (EIA) study that projected developing nations will increase their overall energy use by 85% by 2035. These nations are expected to basically double their use of coal over the next 25 years, which will increase global carbon dioxide emissions by 45%, according to the study by the EIA, which is the statistical arm of the DoE. Savannah River is one of several DoE laboratories working on nuclear issues.
"We don't understand the exact connection between CO2 emissions and global climate change, but if we stay on the path we're on, there will be a collision in the future, at which point we'll find out who's right," he said.
Citing Sen. John Warner, the DoE official observed that "energy security is a three-legged stool: environmental stewardship, national security and economic prosperity. If you remove one leg, the stool falls over."
Building these reactors, which would range from 100 megawatts (MW) to 300 MW and utilize a variety of next-generation designs, could create an entirely new manufacturing industry in America, employing more than 60,000 people, Michalske said, citing a study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank. "SMRs can be an engine to drive job creation and economic development," he added.
"We need to revitalize this nation's nuclear power industry," Michalske told attendees. "SMRs could help us recapture leadership in nuclear power, provide tremendous economic stimulus, and create an entirely new manufacturing base in this country."
By locating these SMRs near load centers in developing nations, those countries could forego the expense of building a national electricity transmission infrastructure, he said. Unlike the U.S., developing nations tend to have a disproportionately high percentage of their population clustered in a few cities, including their capitals.
"SMRs are not meant to displace large reactors, just serve a different type of market," the DoE official continued. "It's not a question of which reactor--large or small--is better. Rather, it comes down to understanding local market needs. Not every market needs extremely large generation sources." Island nations like Guam, for example, could replace existing diesel-fired electric generation, which costs about 28 cents per kilowatt-hour, with SMRs, Michalske said. SMRs also could provide secure and reliable energy for U.S. military bases, both domestically and abroad, he added.
Noting that SMRs "could come in a variety of flavors," Michalske told the attendees there were three basic types of small modular reactors: water-cooled, gas-cooled, and liquid-metal-cooled. None have been built yet, and Michalske did not hazard a guess as to when the first one would be built. But he said SMRs offer a variety of advantages over conventional large reactors, including the following:
- Their smaller size allows them to be manufactured, fueled, and shipped from a factory instead of being assembled and fueled onsite.
- Some of the reactors have a fuel cycle of 20 to 30 years, meaning they would never need onsite refueling.
- The coolant and reactor designs are inherently safer that current reactors.
- They are more efficient that the current generation of large reactors.
- They can be remotely monitored, lowering the amount of on-site staff needed to operate the reactors.
SMRs also could help their owners and project developers manage their investment risk, Michalske said. "One way to deploy SMRs would be to group them together instead of building one large reactor. That way, if you're halfway through building (this type of multi-reactor complex) and you realize that you've misjudged market need, you can stop and still have functioning nuclear reactors," he said. "With traditional nuclear reactors, if you stop construction halfway through an $8 billion reactor, you have half an $8 billion reactor" that generates no electricity.
But Michalske recognized the formidable hurdles facing SMRs, including the fact that none of them have an approved reactor design from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (Bethesda, Maryland). Getting regulatory approval for these SMRs is one of the biggest challenges facing equipment vendors and power developers.
"Ultimately, SMRs will have to compete with natural gas and other fuels, and the price of carbon will play a large part in determining the economic viability of SMRs," he said. Michalske lauded the research and development partnerships between the U.S. government and private companies have been responsible for developing the current SMR designs, and he said continuation of these public-private partnerships were necessary to commercialize the proposed SMRs reactor designs.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
