https://apnews.com/article/us-nucle...iness-design-e5c54435f973ca32759afe5904bf96ac

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has certified the design for what will be the United States’ first small modular nuclear reactor.

The rule that certifies the design was published Thursday in the Federal Register. It means that companies seeking to build and operate a nuclear power plant can pick the design for a 50-megawatt, advanced light-water small modular nuclear reactor by Oregon-based NuScale Power and apply to the NRC for a license.

It’s the final determination that the design is acceptable for use, so it can’t be legally challenged during the licensing process when someone applies to build and operate a nuclear power plant, NRC spokesperson Scott Burnell said Friday. The rule becomes effective in late February.

The U.S. Energy Department said the newly approved design “equips the nation with a new clean power source to help drive down” planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

https://www.federalregister.gov/doc...le-small-modular-reactor-design-certification

NuScale is the first small modular reactor design reviewed by the NRC. NuScale is based on a small light water reactor developed at Oregon State University in the early 2000s. It consists of one or more NuScale power modules (hereafter referred to as power module(s)). A power module is a natural circulation light water reactor composed of a reactor core, a pressurizer, and two helical coil steam generators located in a common reactor pressure vessel that is housed in a compact cylindrical steel containment. The NuScale reactor building is designed to hold up to 12 power modules. Each power module has a rated thermal output of 160 megawatt thermal (MWt) and electrical output of 50 megawatt electric (MWe), yielding a total capacity of 600 MWe for 12 power modules. All the NuScale power modules are partially submerged in a common safety-related pool, which is also the ultimate heat sink for up to 12 power modules. The pool portion of the reactor building is located below grade. The design utilizes several first-of-a-kind approaches for accomplishing key safety functions, resulting in no need for Class 1E safety-related power (no emergency diesel generators), no need for pumps to inject water into the core for post-accident coolant injection, and reduced need for control room staffing while providing safe operation of the plant during normal and post-accident operation.

 

NuScale ends Utah project, in blow to US nuclear power ambitions
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/nuscale-power-uamps-agree-terminate-nuclear-project-2023-11-08/

 

If I understand the article correctly, the issues are not related to technical concerns, but rather to financial viability concerns??

 

If I understand the article correctly, the issues are not related to technical concerns, but rather to financial viability concerns??

https://www.powermag.com/uamps-and-nuscale-power-terminate-smr-nuclear-project/

Concerning the CFPP, however, costs for the first-of-a-kind project were a mounting concern. Still, NuScale’s Hopkins said during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Nov. 8 that capital cost projections had not increased “between the Class 3 and current Class 2 estimates” when adjusted for inflation. “I want to emphasize that point, because not only have overall capital costs remain stable, the cost of NuScale’s SMR technology, which is just one component of the CFPP, have remained steady as well,” he said.

Instead, Hopkins pointed to subscriptions as the main factor in the termination decision. “CFPP targeted 80% subscription for the project by year end,” he noted. “Despite significant efforts by both parties to advance the CFPP, it appeared unlikely that the project would have enough subscription to support deployment. Therefore, UAMPS and NuScale mutually determined that ending the project was the most prudent decision for both parties.”

 

In other words, "Build it and they will come" is a poor marketing plan. No matter how cool a technology seems, you need to have a solid marketing plan and demonstrated customer buy-in before you can start throwing capital at it. A technology looking for a customer is the oldest recipe for failure in the book.

Prediction: The first adopter will be in a location that needs this more desperately than Oregon. Puerto Rico comes to mind but I'm sure there are plenty others.

 

In other words, "Build it and they will come" is a poor marketing plan. No matter how cool a technology seems, you need to have a solid marketing plan and demonstrated customer buy-in before you can start throwing capital at it. A technology looking for a customer is the oldest recipe for failure in the book.

Prediction: The first adopter will be in a location that needs this more desperately than Oregon. Puerto Rico comes to mind but I'm sure there are plenty others.

We sure don't need SMR here.

In every year since 2007, Oregonians used less electricity than the state's power plants generated and the excess power went to other states by way of the Western Interconnection—one of North America's principal power grids.36 The Western Interconnection reaches from western Canada down to Baja California in Mexico and stretches from the Pacific Ocean eastward across the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains.37 Major transmission lines of the Western Interconnection link Oregon's electricity grid to California's grid, allowing for large interstate electricity transfers between the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest.38 Although originally designed to transmit inexpensive hydroelectricity south to California, the flow sometimes reverses to bring solar power to the Pacific Northwest.39

https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=OR

 

We sure don't need SMR here.
https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=OR

Huh, that's interesting. What genius thought is was a good idea to put it there? I mean, site selection is a huge part of any such endeavor. You study labor rates, all the relevant utilities, water, transportation, employee housing and on and on. That's the best they could do?

 

Huh, that's interesting. What genius thought is was a good idea to put it there? I mean, site selection is a huge part of any such endeavor. You study labor rates, all the relevant utilities, water, transportation, employee housing and on and on. That's the best they could do?

It was designed in Oregon, the first install was to be in Utah.
https://www.cato.org/blog/nuclear-powers-newest-cautionary-tale