Engineering news
Energy experts have come out in favour of small modular nuclear reactors and a US developer has outlined its ambitions for the technology in the UK this week.
A report published by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), has found that nuclear reactors with a capacity in units of 300 MWe or less would be suitable for use in the UK.
The report, which includes work by Atkins, Mott MacDonald and Rolls-Royce, models future energy requirements and generation scenarios and analyses how Small Modular Reactors (SMR's) and large baseload reactors could fit into the future energy system.
It found a number of advantages of SMRs working in tandem with larger, baseload nuclear power stations. For example, it says the smaller size and easier siting of SMRs means they could deliver low carbon heat into cities via hot water pipelines up to 30km in length.
Mike Middleton, strategy manager for nuclear at the ETI, said that there although there is still uncertainty about the costs and schedules for SMR deployment in the UK, “enabling activities” need to start for their deployment. “The next 10 years will be critical,” he said. “Action needs to be taken now if the option to deploy SMRs as part of the low carbon energy system transition is not to be closed off. Optimising deployment of both large scale and SMR nuclear power is also likely to require a strategic approach to siting and the associated phases of public consultation.”
Meanwhile US firm Nuscale, which is backed by Fluor and the US government, confirmed it is on course to deliver its first 50 MWe SMR by 2023 to a customer in Idaho. The company plans to submit its design for certification in the US next year and expects to receive regulatory approval in the early 2020s.
Nuscale also published its prospectus to build SMRs in the UK earlier this week and estimates that the SMR market will be worth £400 billion by 2035. John Hopkins, chief executive of Nuscale Power, said: “Our presence in the UK market has been developing fast off the back of progress in the US. We see the UK as one of the most attractive places globally to do nuclear business.
“Britain has the opportunity to grab a share of the future high value global SMR market. Our vision is to see Nuscale Power Modules generating low carbon electricity in the UK and providing opportunities in the UK.”
The company said that its 50MWe SMRs, which “can” be entirely fabricated off-site, will be competitively priced with large scale nuclear, and are able to be sited more flexibly than large scale plants with up to a maximum of 12 modules per site. In a loss of power event, it added that the reactor can safely shut down and self-cool for an indefinite period with no operator action, no electrical power and no additional water.
Nuscale was spun-out of Oregon State University in 2007 and has received £142 million of funding from the US government for the next four years of operation.