Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the United States (2023) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 9-22
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From page 9... ...
Uncertainties surround comparative economics with other energy technologies, future demand for electricity and the structure of the grid, the prospects for applications beyond electricity generation, assurance of safety, regulatory hurdles, societal preferences, international market opportunities,2 waste disposition, security, project management, supply chains, nonproliferation, and many more. Although this study acknowledges that expanded utilization of nuclear power presents formidable challenges, the important opportunities provided by advanced reactors warrant exploration.
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From page 10... ...
government in sponsoring the development and commercialization of new and advanced nuclear reactor technologies to provide clean energy, to address national-security and nonproliferation goals, or to assist in nuclear exports; and • The future workforce and educational needs to support the research, development, and deployment of these technologies. operation of existing plants is essential for meeting near-term decarbonization targets (IEA 2022)
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From page 11... ...
The continued expansion of electricity generation using natural gas is somewhat uncertain. At the same time, electricity demand is projected to grow 50 percent by 2050 (EIA 2019)
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The International Atomic Energy Agency recently concluded that "nuclear is well placed to help decarbonize electricity supply" and that "nuclear power plays a significant role in a secure global pathway to net zero [carbon emissions] ." In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change considered 90 pathways to limit global average temperature warming to 1.5°C and found that, on average, the pathways require nuclear power across the globe to reach 1,160 GWe capacity by 2050, up from 394 GWe in 2020 (Nuclear Energy Agency 2022)
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Many pathways require global installed nuclear capacity to grow significantly, often more than doubling by 2050 SOURCE: Nuclear Energy Agency, 2022, Meeting Climate Change Targets: The Role of Nuclear Energy, Paris: OECD Publishing, https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_69396/meeting-climate-change-targets-the-role-of-nuclear-energy. renewable generation is not available or is insufficient; (3)
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Moreover, in evaluating the opportunity for nuclear power to address climate change, three crucial timelines must be considered together: the timeline for deployment of low-carbon technologies, the timeline for decarbonization of end-uses, and the timeline to develop and demonstrate new clean energy technologies. As noted above, large LWRs using existing technology will contribute in the near term, but there is little enthusiasm today for their deployment in new construction in the United States.10 Because demonstrations of new and advanced nuclear designs are not expected until the late 2020s or early 2030s, it may be difficult for new nuclear technologies to contribute significantly until the next few decades.
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Congress has recognized this reality in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ; it provides incentives for clean energy technologies (production and investment tax credits)
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, which provides support to demonstrate advanced reactors (NRIC n.d.)
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. The Natrium concept is funded in part through DOE's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP)
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Of these, hydrogen production using high-temperature advanced nuclear reactors is perhaps the most promising. Such applications may be important in their own right and as a means to enable the economic deployment of nuclear plants on grids with substantial reliance on variable renewables.
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But, given that many vendors are pursuing advanced reactors that are employ technology very different from existing LWRs, the regulatory requirements must change to accommodate them. Because the business case for an advanced reactor must be premised on an understanding of the regulatory environment in which the plant will be licensed and operated, unknown regulatory requirements present an obstacle for commercial deployment.
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2021. "An Assessment of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for Zero-Carbon Electricity, Desalination, and Hydrogen Production." Stanford University Precourt Institute of Energy.
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2021. "Natrium™ Reactor and Integrated Energy Storage." TerraPower: A Nuclear Innovation Company.
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However, advances in materials, fuels, and other enabling technologies have been incorporated into these advanced reactor systems that may improve safety or reduce cost. A common characteristic of most of these reactor technologies is the smaller reactor system size compared to current large LWRs; these systems could be as large as a few hundred MWe or as small as a few MWe (so-called microreactors)
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