The National Academies Press

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Pages 247-261

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From page 247... ... Growth in electricity demand and the need to achieve economy-wide decarbonization over the coming several decades present important long-term opportunities for advanced nuclear technologies. Finding 1-3: In order for advanced reactors to contribute significantly to a decarbonized energy system, there are many challenges that must be overcome. Read the entire page →
From page 248... ... Without this fuel supply chain, widespread commercial deployment of these reactor concepts cannot be achieved. This high-assay low-enriched uranium, while one of many new supply chains that need to be established to support advanced reactors, is critical across many of the advanced concepts. Read the entire page →
From page 249... ... Finding 3-4: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order 2222 opens the door for small and advanced reactors to have their output aggregated to serve evolving electricity markets. These reactors, if located on congested transmission nodes, could alleviate the need for new transmission. Read the entire page →
From page 250... ... CHAPTER 4 Finding 4-1: The key economic challenge for advanced nuclear reactors is the need to either be cost competitive with other low-carbon energy systems in providing electricity, expand their use to applications beyond the electricity sector, or have an otherwise strong value proposition that encourages investment. Given anticipated market conditions, and the range of low carbon energy technology options, this will require reductions in capital cost. Read the entire page →
From page 251... ... Recommendation 5-1: Industrial applications using thermal energy present an important new mission for advanced reactors. Key research and development needs for industrial applications include assessing system integration, operations, safety, community acceptance, market size as a PREPUBLICATION COPY – SUBJECT TO FURTHER EDITORIAL CORRECTION I-5 Read the entire page →
From page 252... ... Hydrogen provides perhaps the most credible non-electric revenue stream for nuclear reactors, because it is likely that hydrogen will have value across the industrial, power, and transportation sectors for deep decarbonization. CHAPTER 6 Finding 6-1: Significant expansion in the deployment of advanced reactor technologies to achieve decarbonization goals will require concomitant growth in the labor force to support not only the construction and operation of these systems, but also to enable the necessary expansion of supporting fuel and supply chains and regulatory and training networks. Read the entire page →
From page 253... ... Recommendation 6-3: Department of Energy programs such as the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program should develop criteria that encourage and incentivize all major government-funded nuclear power projects to include a formal collaborative agreement between the reactor vendor and an experienced development firm to ensure that there is management capacity to complete nuclear construction projects successfully, on budget, and on schedule. Finding 6-4: Underestimation of cost, schedules, and risk during the project planning and execution stages can set unrealistic expectations, potentially damaging future prospects for the technology. Read the entire page →
From page 254... ... Recommendation 6-8: While it is vital to demonstrate that advanced reactors are viable from a technical perspective, it is perhaps even more vital to ensure that the overall plant, including the onsite civil work, can be built within cost and schedule constraints. Because it is likely that costs for onsite development will still be a significant contributor to capital cost, and the ~$35 million in Department of Energy (DOE) Read the entire page →
From page 255... ... CHAPTER 7 Finding 7-1: In recognition that advanced reactors present different regulatory issues from light water reactors, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Read the entire page →
From page 256... ... This should involve increased engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Energy Agency on these matters, as well as exploration of regulatory mechanisms like those used by the aviation industry. In the meantime, bilateral arrangements with other countries pursuing advanced reactors, such as the memorandum of understanding that the United States has entered with Canada, may pave the way for broader international harmonization. Read the entire page →
From page 257... ... academic institutions need to take the lead in promoting socially conscious engineering. Within the nuclear energy field, the Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization and the American Nuclear Society Education, Training, and Workforce Development Division should engage with experts in the social sciences of design and siting to collaborate, develop, and implement a set of recommendations for updating curriculum, accreditation, scholarship and fellowship programs, as well as research programs. Read the entire page →
From page 258... ... Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has proposed significant modifications to physical security requirements to accommodate designs and operations proposed by licensees of advanced reactors that differ from larger light water power reactors. Read the entire page →
From page 259... ... Both the NRC and the vendors should work closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency's Small Modular Reactor and Instrumentation and Control Systems groups to develop international standards and determine whether new monitoring alternatives are needed. Finding 9-3: As advanced reactors continue to be developed with the potential of rapid scale-up both domestically and internationally in the coming decades, it is crucial to recognize, prioritize, and address potential gaps in safeguards technology and to incorporate key measurement capabilities at the earliest stages of the design process. Read the entire page →
From page 260... ... federal agencies -- Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Department of Commerce -- working on the different licensing and authorization processes regularly speak and work with one another when presented with an application. This close coordination across these lead agencies has several benefits: it may reduce the need for extensive modification to manage the export of new and advanced reactors and their technologies, and, given that the export of any individual advanced reactor by a U.S. Read the entire page →
From page 261... ... Increased commitment of U.S. resources to the three lead export control agencies will be needed to support the work of the Nuclear Suppliers Group on new and advanced reactors, including resources for and leadership in a review of new materials and technologies in conjunction with an internal U.S. Read the entire page →

From page 247...

... Growth in electricity demand and the need to achieve economy-wide decarbonization over the coming several decades present important long-term opportunities for advanced nuclear technologies. Finding 1-3: In order for advanced reactors to contribute significantly to a decarbonized energy system, there are many challenges that must be overcome.