Nuclear Energy Bulletin | June-July 2024

IEEFA report criticises feasibility of small modular reactors | June 4

A new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has assessed the feasibility of using small modular nuclear reactors to meet growing energy demands worldwide. The report, "Small Modular Reactors: Still Too Expensive, Too Slow and Too Risky" asks whether it would be beneficial to continue using small nuclear power plants in order to meet the increasing energy demand worldwide.

The 23-page report includes the following statements: "The rhetoric of small modular reactor (SMR) advocates is loud and persistent: This time will be different, because the cost overruns and schedule delays that plague large reactor construction projects will not be repeated in the new designs," the report says. "But the few SMRs that have been built (or started) paint a different picture - one that looks surprisingly similar to the past. Significant construction delays are still the norm and costs continue to rise."

On costs, the report looks at three SMRs in operation worldwide: two in Russia [probably only one - the Akademik Lomonosov, which has two reactors] and one in China, the High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor-Pebble Bed Module (HTR-PM) at the Shidaowan site in Shandong province. The CAREM-25 SMR under construction in Argentina is also being considered as a fourth reactor.

All four [three] costs are significantly higher than originally planned, he says. "The conclusion to be drawn from this is that projected costs are significantly below actual construction expenditures."

Two other SMRs under construction in China and Russia are also years behind schedule, IEEFA says. "Russia's BREST-300 lead-cooled reactor is scheduled for completion in 2026, despite announcements in the early 2010s that it would be operational in 2018. Similarly, China's ACP100, a 125 MW pressurized water SMR under development since the early 2010s, is not scheduled for commercial operation until 2026." These are also FOAK designs for which delays are commonplace and which will ultimately offer opportunities for replication and export.

Similar significant cost overruns have occurred in proposed projects in the US, IEEFA notes, citing the cancellation of NuScale's planned plant in Idaho in collaboration with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS).

IEEFA says the cost debate "inevitably involves Westinghouse, the developer of the two AP1000 reactors recently commissioned at Georgia Power's Vogtle nuclear facility," which are more than $20 billion over budget and took more than six years longer to complete than estimated. "Undeterred by this fiasco, Westinghouse entered the SMR market by introducing a 300 MW unit (AP300) that it said it could build for $3,333 per kW, even though the final cost of the Vogtle reactors was more than $20,000 per kW in 2023 dollars. Even if Westinghouse's projected AP300 cost is an overnight estimate that does not include escalation and financing costs, this is an extraordinary cost reduction for a plant that has not yet been licensed and is far from breaking ground for construction."

As for projects being "too slow", the report cites the same projects, all of which are taking longer than planned to build. Again, in the case of Russian and Chinese plants, this is not a real issue, as would be expected for FAK projects.

But for those still in the design phase, IEEFA may be right. "Despite this real-world experience, Westinghouse, X-Energy and NuScale, among others, continue to claim that they can build their SMRs quickly enough to have them operational within 36 to 48 months, perhaps by 2030," the report says. "Even GE-Hitachi claims it can build its 300 MW plant in as little as 24 months. Admittedly, the probability of this being possible is not zero, but it flies in the face of nuclear industry experience, both in terms of past SMR development and construction efforts and the broader universe of full-size reactors that have taken significantly longer than anticipated to begin commercial operation."

Regarding the projects being "too risky", IEEFA noted that the cost overruns and construction delays already plaguing the SMR sector "pose enormous financial and time risks".

As a result, IEEFA notes that it published its first analysis of the SMR sector more than two years ago and "concluded that this much-hyped resource would be too slow, too expensive and too risky to help the transition away from fossil fuels." "We stand by that conclusion," he added.

Source: NEI Magazine

Report: IEEFA

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Announces Plans to Fund Up to $900 Million for SMR Deployment | June 18

The US Department of Energy has issued a notice of intent to provide up to $900 million (€840 million) in funding for initial installations of Generation III+ small modular reactor (SMR) technologies.

The funding, which DOE said was made possible in part by President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, will help strengthen the US domestic nuclear industry and encourage follow-on reactor projects vital to achieving clean energy and climate goals and meeting the growing demand for clean, reliable energy.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said it anticipates offering funding in two tiers.

• Tier 1 plans to provide up to $800 million to support up to two first-mover teams, consisting of the utility, reactor supplier, builder and up to two first-mover teams from end-users or electricity distributors, who commit to build the first plant while facilitating a multi-reactor, Generation III+ SMR order book.
• Tier 2 plans to provide up to $100 million to encourage additional Generation III+ SMR deployments by addressing key gaps that hinder the domestic nuclear industry in areas such as design, licensing, supplier development and site preparation.

Source: NucNet

Kazakhstan's nuclear energy referendum to be held this year | June 27

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said that a referendum on plans for a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan will be held this autumn.

In a speech to media representatives in the country, the president said that "a stable source of energy is necessary for the development of the economy". He said there was "a comprehensive discussion" taking place about the proposed nuclear power plant with "different opinions" and he said the country's mass media "should also actively participate in this process".

Although a positive result in the referendum will be needed for the project to go ahead, some details of the proposed plan have already been emerging, with the World Nuclear Spotlight event in April in the country hearing that a site at Ulken, on the shores of Lake Balkhash, had been identified as the most suitable location, with Kurchatov as a backup region. The proposed first nuclear power plant would be a large reactor but there are also options for using small modular reactors to replace retiring coal plants in the years to come. The government's target is for nuclear to produce a 5% share of the national generation mix by 2035.

He added: "There is a great opportunity to develop nuclear energy in the country. It should be used correctly, effectively. The people will make the final decision on this issue. The referendum will be held this autumn and the government will determine the exact date."

Source: WNN

Work on the six-unit SMR nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan to begin in September | July 1

Uzbekistan will start work in September on a nuclear station that will house six small modular reactors (SMRs), according local media reports and Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Uzatom, the country’s nuclear energy agency, signed a protocol with Rosatom at the site of the planned facility, in the Jizzakh region, near the border with Tajikistan in the east of the country.

Russia confirms signing protocol for plant to utilise RITM-200N reactors developed from icebreakers. If the agreement is implemented, the SMR plant will be the first in Central Asia.

The plant will have a total capacity of 330 MW, consisting of six reactors with a capacity of 55 MW each. Rosatom will be the general contractor for the construction of the plant and local companies will be involved in the construction process, the statement said.

Source: NucNet

Italy could obtain 22% of its electricity from nuclear by 2050 | July 2

Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italy's Minister of Environment and Energy Security, laid out the possible scale of capacity should the country decide to restart its nuclear power programme.

Speaking at the Global Energy Transition Congress in Milan, Italy, Fratin, pictured above, said: "By launching Italy's sustainable nuclear energy platform, we have started an assessment process on the restart of nuclear power in Italy after 2030. We aim to do this by applying the new sustainable nuclear technologies currently being developed, in particular small modular fission reactors and, in the long term, fusion power.

"Nuclear and fusion will complement the growing expansion of energy generation from renewables and other low-carbon solutions. We expect to be able to meet more than 10 per cent of the country's electricity demand from nuclear power, reaching around 8 GW by 2050. With the full utilisation of the nuclear energy potential in our country, this could rise to more than 20-22%."

Source: WNN

Paper Calls For ‘Clear And Cohesive’ Long-Term Strategy As Country Faces Challenges And Opportunities On Nuclear | July 15

New reactors urgently needed to bridge impending gap in power generation capacity, says 英国帝国理工学院

The UK government should develop a clear and cohesive long-term strategy for new nuclear power plants and establish a mix of funding sources to provide revenue certainty to nuclear projects and make them more attractive to investors.

A paper published by Imperial College London’s Energy Futures Lab says the nuclear industry faces challenges such as high costs, skills shortages and complex waste management. The paper, The Future of Nuclear Power in the UK: Challenges and Opportunities, says financing is a key issue and there are various factors influencing the financial feasibility of nuclear projects, including the high debt levels of the UK government, amounting to 101.2% of gross domestic product in 2023.

This hinders the government’s capacity to invest substantially in large-scale nuclear initiatives and raises concerns about its ability to allocate funds to the nuclear energy sector.

Source : NucNet

Academy Report Highlights ‘Least Risky Option’ For SMR Deployment | July 26

The least risky option if Australia plans to deploy small modular reactors would be to wait until after several designs have been commercialised and successfully operated in other countries, a report by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (ATSE).

The report, Small Modular Reactors – The technology and Australian context explained, says SMRs could potentially form part of Australia’s future low-carbon energy mix, using existing transmission infrastructure and contributing to baseload power, or providing dispatchable power in a high-renewables grid.

But the report notes that as an emerging technology, in 2024 the cost and operational performance of this technology “has not yet been demonstrated”. It says SMR development globally in “a nascent state” with associated uncertainty in costs and timelines. The report also highlights the relatively small size of the Australian nuclear-capable workforce. According to the report, commercial releases of SMRs could begin by the late 2030s to mid-2040s, with a mature market likely emerging during the mid to late 2040s, depending on regulatory approvals and investment and resource allocation.

Sourcing either an “in-development” or a prototype SMR is a higher-risk proposition for both technical and commercial reasons, the report concludes. ATSE president Katherine Woodthorpe said: “Overall, the associated timescales, expense, skills gap, legal and regulatory barriers, and social acceptance of nuclear power means the technology is high-risk when compared to existing energy options.”

Source : NucNet

Nuclear Expansion Continues With Two New Construction Starts in China | July 29

Construction has begun on two new nuclear power reactors in China, bringing the number of plants under construction in the country to 30 as it seeks to reduce its reliance on coal by approving six to eight new nuclear units a year.

The pouring of first concrete has been announced for Unit 5 at the Ningde nuclear power station in Fujian Province, southeastern China, and a new unit at the Shidaowan nuclear station (also known as Shidao Bay) site in Shandong Province, eastern China

Recent announcements from China suggest it has 14 Hualong One units under construction domestically at eight sites – one unit each at Ningde, Shidaowan and Fangchenggang; two units each at Changjiang, Lufeng, Taipingling Sanaocun (also known as Zhejiang Sanao and San’ao) and Jinqimen; and three units at Zhangzhou.

Source: NucNet

Rolls-Royce SMR 'In Front of the Field' Following Completion of UK Overall Design Assessment Step 2 | July 30

UK-based small modular reactor developer Rolls-Royce SMR has completed Step 2 of the country's generic design assessment (GDA) and will immediately proceed to the third and final step.

Rolls-Royce SMR said on 30 July that this announcement confirms that it is ahead of other SMRs in Europe. The company said it would further capitalise on this significant advantage by moving immediately to Step 3, which involves a "detailed assessment" of the SMR design.

The GDA process is led by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales, the independent regulators of the UK nuclear industry.

Helena Perry, Rolls-Royce SMR's director of safety and regulatory affairs, said the completion of Step 2 of the GDA was "the most significant milestone to date" in progressing the deployment of Rolls-Royce SMRs in the UK.

Source: NucNet

Work Begins On First Generation IV Nuclear Power Plant In US | July 31

Kairos Power said in a statement that the Hermes Low-Power Demonstation Reactor, which could be operational in 2027, is the first and only Generation IV* reactor to be approved for construction by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the US in over 50 years.

Hermes is a non-power version of Kairos Power’s fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor, the KP-HFR. Kairos Power said it had recently started excavation and groundwork at the Hermes site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, through a contract with Montana-based Barnard Construction Company.

It said Hermes is one of several projects being supported through the DOE’s advanced reactor demonstration programme, which is designed to help the domestic nuclear industry demonstrate its advanced reactor designs and ultimately help the US build a competitive portfolio of new US reactors that offer significant improvements over today’s technology.

Source: NucNet