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upstart writes:

The historic move is a step on the long path ahead for nuclear power:

The U.S. has just given the green light to its first-ever small modular nuclear design, a promising step forward for a power source that remains controversial among some climate advocates but is experiencing a popular renaissance.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the design, which was published Thursday in the Federal Register, from NuScale, an Oregon-based reactor company. The publication of the design in the Register allows utilities to select this type of reactor when applying for a license to build a new nuclear facility. The design would be able to produce a reactor about one-third the size of a usual reactor, with each module able to produce around 50 megawatts of power.

[...] Just because a design is on the books doesn't mean that it's smooth sailing for the industry or that all our grids are going to be powered by carbon-free nuclear electricity in a few years. NuScale is currently working on a six-module demonstration plant in Idaho that will be fully operational by 2030; the company said this month that its estimates for the price per megawatt hour of the demo plant had jumped by more than 50% since its last estimates, in an uncomfortable echo of ballooning costs associated with other traditional nuclear projects. Small modular reactors still produce nuclear waste, which some environmentalists say is a concern that can't be overlooked as the industry develops.

Previous stories:
US Regulators Certify First Small Nuclear Reactor Design
First Major Modular Nuclear Project Having Difficulty Retaining Backers
US Gives First-Ever OK for Small Commercial Nuclear Reactor
The US Government Just Invested Big in Small-Scale Nuclear Power
Safer Nuclear Reactors on the Horizon

Original Submission

1. "upstart" - https://soylentnews.org/~upstart/
2. "The historic move is a step on the long path ahead for nuclear power" - https://gizmodo.com/usa-approves-first-small-modular-nuclear-reactor-design-1850024656
3. "working" - https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/nrc-certifies-first-us-small-modular-reactor-design
4. "said" - https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230109005322/en/NuScale-Reaches-Key-Milestone-in-the-Development-of-the-Carbon-Free-Power-Project
5. "ballooning costs associated with other traditional nuclear projects" - https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21012022/georgia-power-vogtle-nuclear/#:~:text=Vogtle's%20two%20new%20nuclear%20reactors,cheaper%20ways%20to%20reduce%20emissions.
6. "US Regulators Certify First Small Nuclear Reactor Design" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=22/08/02/1033250
7. "First Major Modular Nuclear Project Having Difficulty Retaining Backers" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=20/11/08/2211228
8. "US Gives First-Ever OK for Small Commercial Nuclear Reactor" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=20/09/04/0231207
9. "The US Government Just Invested Big in Small-Scale Nuclear Power" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=20/05/23/031232
10. "Safer Nuclear Reactors on the Horizon" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=19/07/05/023244
11. "Original Submission" - https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=58336

printed from SoylentNews, U.S. Approves First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Design on 2024-04-20 13:26:17