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Small Modular Reactors in an Uncertain Nuclear Power Future
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Kessides, Ioannis Nicolaos |
| Copyright Year | 2013 |
| Abstract | The future of nuclear power remains clouded in uncertainty and controversy. The Fukushima Daiichi disaster in March, 2011 has heightened public apprehension about nuclear safety, as after the disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Consequently, public opposition to nuclear power has intensified in Europe and in a number of developing countries. Great debate also exists over the cost-effectiveness of nuclear energy, and about current and future technical advances that could address economic and safety concerns. Nevertheless, several developing countries (larger and smaller, middle and lower-income) are actively considering nuclear power in their national energy mix. This interest in nuclear power is driven primarily by energy security concerns—the level and volatility of fossil fuel prices, and the availability and reliability of other sources of supply. While many developing countries are also making major commitments to renewable energy, all large-scale (grid-connected) renewable investments require considerable subsidies given the current state of technology, implying a long-term financial burden. Although there have been significant cost reductions driven by technological change, wind, solar and other renewable generating technologies are still more expensive (per unit of electricity delivered) relative to conventional fossil fuels. An overly rapid uptake of renewables in developing countries could have significant implications for their competitiveness. Recent research indicates that there is no obvious “silver bullet” for addressing the challenges of energy security and the need for massive increases in electricity supply in developing countries, while also curbing global emissions of greenhouse gases leading to climate change. A number of energy sources and technological options exist. However, there are highly divergent views on the environmental, social, and economic tradeoffs associated with all of these options. In the face of significant economic and technological uncertainties, prudence calls for energy supply diversification. A broad portfolio of low-carbon technologies and energy sources (larger and smaller-scale) needs to be investigated and developed, in addition to major improvements in energy efficiency. Over the longer term, in particular as technology advances, nuclear power may need to play an important role in managing the costs of transition to a low-carbon economy with scalable and affordable electricity supplied to meet the projected large absolute increase in electricity demand in developing countries. For nuclear power to play a major role in meeting the future global energy mix and security, the hazards of another Fukushima and the construction delays and costs escalation that have plagued the industry in recent years have to be substantially reduced. The technical complexity, management challenges, and inherent risks of failure posed by the construction of new nuclear plants have been amplified considerably (perhaps non-linearly) as their size increased to the gigawatt scale and beyond. And so have the financing challenges. One potential solution might be to downsize nuclear plants from the gigawatt scale to smaller and less-complex units. New generations of nuclear reactors are now in various stages of planning and development promising enhanced safety, improved economics, and simpler designs. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are scalable nuclear power plant designs that promise to reduce investment risks through incremental capacity expansion, become more standardized and lead to cost reductions through accelerated learning effects. They can also address concerns about catastrophic events since they offer passive safety features and contain substantially smaller radioactive inventory. Thus, SMRs could provide an attractive and affordable nuclear power option for many developing countries with small electricity markets, insufficient grid capacity, and limited financial resources. They may also be particularly suitable for non-electrical applications such as desalination, process heat for industrial uses and district heating, and hydrogen production. Moreover, multi-module power plants with SMRs may allow for more flexible generation profiles. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.iaee.org/en/publications/newsletterdl.aspx?id=198 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
