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

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/10/ora...-powered-by-three-small-nuclear-reactors.html
Oracle is designing a data center that would be powered by three small nuclear reactors

Chairman and co-founder Larry Ellison had a “bizarre” announcement to make this week.
The electricity demand from artificial intelligence is becoming so “crazy” that Oracle is looking to secure power from next-generation nuclear technology, Ellison told investors on the company’s earnings call Monday.

“Let me say something that’s going to sound really bizarre,” Ellison told analysts. “Well, you’d probably say, well, he says bizarre things all the time, so why is he announcing this one. It must be really bizarre.”
Oracle is designing a data center that will require more than a gigawatt of electricity, the company’s chairman said. The data center would be powered by three small nuclear reactors, he added.

All of this for AI that's not AI?

 

Isn’t this design based on the SL-1?

 

https://www.energy-northwest.com/wh...dvanced-nuclear-technology-in-Washington.aspx
Amazon and Energy Northwest announce plans to develop advanced nuclear technology in Washington

The SMRs will be the Xe-100 design, a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor developed by X-energy, a global leader in advanced nuclear reactor and fuel technology. Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 megawatts of full-time electricity. Energy Northwest and X-energy have engaged extensively on plans for an Xe-100 facility since 2020.
Under the agreement, Amazon will have the right to purchase electricity from the first project (four modules), which is expected to generate 320 megawatts (MW) of energy capacity. Energy Northwest has the option to further build out the site by adding up to eight additional modules (640 MWs) resulting in a total project generating capacity of up to 960 MWs. This additional power will be available to Amazon and northwest utilities to power homes and businesses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Northwest

 

Funny that the press release fails to mention the NRC. This project may be DOA, or minimally delayed for decades on the whim of the bureaucrats. Might as well be a fusion project.

 

Funny that the press release fails to mention the NRC. This project may be DOA, or minimally delayed for decades on the whim of the bureaucrats. Might as well be a fusion project.

Dig a little deeper than a press release to the NRC Docket.

Amazon will just pay them off... It's nice to worth trillions. Seriously, I think the design already has NRC pre-approval.
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-re...vities/pre-application-activities/xe-100.html

 

Looks to me like they're 6 years into the "pre-application" phase, whatever that is. What makes you think there is an end in sight?

 

Looks to me like they're 6 years into the "pre-application" phase, whatever that is. What makes you think there is an end in sight?

Job offers our former Navy nuke techs are getting and Amazon dropping big bucks to a company with a long history in the business of running power plants.
Energy Northwest (formerly Washington Public Power Supply System)
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/co/Ene...ctor-Operator?id=3t6BpFnurqZS41ap1EJq6SamfXQ=

Location is not a problem and there is plenty of existing infrastructure.
https://earth.google.com/web/search...VFhyUX8BCAggBOgMKATBCAggASg0I____________ARAA

https://earth.google.com/web/search...laxYRXsBCAggBOgMKATBCAggASg0I____________ARAA


I'm sure it won't be overnight but with Nuscale getting a cert, the way has been cleared for others to follow. : https://www.federalregister.gov/doc...le-small-modular-reactor-design-certification

 

 

Years ago I was briefly involved with the BWXT M-Power project which ended up benched. One big problem which has been mentioned several times in this thread was finding customers. The only company think of getting onboard was First Energy. Over last Holiday Season I was talking with some of our engineers when we do the annual Christmas Luncheon and there is a new project in the works. Project PELE is in the works. An air cooled micro reactor. Pretty cool and there are customers as mentioned in the link. I worked at the Euclid, Ohio facility. Time will tell but so far very good results. Imagine a modular air cooled micro reactor which is portable. I was tempted to go back to work just to check it out.

Meanwhile the abandoned M-Power project still sits in storage.

Ron

 

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/11/...etas-plan-for-nuclear-powered-ai-data-center/
Endangered bees stop Meta’s plan for nuclear-powered AI data center
Meta's rivals have struck deals to use nuclear power for some data centers.

 

Talen-Amazon Nuclear Power Deal Hits Speed Bump. Why Constellation Stock Is Down More.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...-constellation-stock-is-down-more/ar-AA1ttveT

 

https://stocks.apple.com/AcUFSVzboRLevvN9LoPYkGg

Yes, these are not technical reasons, they are about the economic effect to 'normal' users when the AI hogs eat all of the generation.