The Next Big Thing in Nuclear Power: Going Small
Published: December 17, 2012
The 'economies of scale' approach the nuclear industry pursued for decades is getting turned on its ear as small modular reactors are poised represent the next generation of nuclear power.
Most of today's existing nuclear plants consist of large reactors that generate thousands of megawatts, but an onerous licensing process, difficulties financing multi-billion dollar construction projects andunresolved waste issues have led the industry in a different direction.
"We see more focus on SMRs across the industry as a whole," former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, who is now Clean and Safe Energy Coalition Co-chair recently told AOL Energy.
Watch a video from Whitman on AOL Energy here.
The nuclear power industry and utilities face a challenge as nuclear plants approach and reach the end of their originally-designed lives. Simply shutting these plants down would be extremely difficult – in some cases impossible - for power grids to handle and could result in power failures and increased electricity costs because they generate power on such a large scale. In many cases, the problem is being dealt with by extending operating licenses.
"They [utilities] will re-license [existing plants] as long as it's safe to do so – but the focus will be on SMRs," Gov. Whitman said.
Most of today's existing nuclear plants consist of large reactors that generate thousands of megawatts, but an onerous licensing process, difficulties financing multi-billion dollar construction projects andunresolved waste issues have led the industry in a different direction.
"We see more focus on SMRs across the industry as a whole," former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, who is now Clean and Safe Energy Coalition Co-chair recently told AOL Energy.
Watch a video from Whitman on AOL Energy here.
The nuclear power industry and utilities face a challenge as nuclear plants approach and reach the end of their originally-designed lives. Simply shutting these plants down would be extremely difficult – in some cases impossible - for power grids to handle and could result in power failures and increased electricity costs because they generate power on such a large scale. In many cases, the problem is being dealt with by extending operating licenses.
"They [utilities] will re-license [existing plants] as long as it's safe to do so – but the focus will be on SMRs," Gov. Whitman said.
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