Five Things the “#NuclearBros” Don’t Want You to Know About #SmallModularReactors #SMRs

by #EdwinLyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists (#UCS)
April 30, 2024

"Even casual followers of energy and climate issues have probably heard about the alleged wonders of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). This is due in no small part to the 'nuclear bros': an active and seemingly tireless group of #NuclearPower advocates [#Trolls] who dominate social media discussions on energy by promoting SMRs and other 'advanced' #nuclear technologies as the only real solution for the #ClimateCrisis.

"But as I showed in my 2013 and 2021 reports, the hype surrounding SMRs is way overblown, and my conclusions remain valid today.

"Unfortunately, much of this SMR happy talk is rooted in #misinformation, which always brings me back to the same question: If the nuclear bros have such a great SMR story to tell, why do they have to exaggerate so much?

What are SMRs?

"SMRs are nuclear reactors that are 'small' (defined as 300 megawatts of electrical power or less), can be largely assembled in a centralized facility, and would be installed in a modular fashion at power generation sites. Some proposed SMRs are so tiny (20 megawatts or less) that they are called 'micro' reactors. SMRs are distinct from today’s conventional nuclear plants, which are typically around 1,000 megawatts and were largely custom-built. Some SMR designs, such as #NuScale, are modified versions of operating water-cooled reactors, while others are radically different designs that use coolants other than water, such as liquid sodium, helium gas, or even molten salts.

"To date, however, theoretical interest in SMRs has not translated into many actual reactor orders. The only SMR currently under construction is in China. And in the United States, only one company—#TerraPower, founded by Microsoft’s Bill Gates — has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a permit to build a power reactor (but at 345 megawatts, it technically isn’t even an SMR).

"The #NuclearIndustry has pinned its hopes on SMRs primarily because some recent large reactor projects, including #Vogtle units 3 and 4 in the state of #GeorgiaUSA, have taken far longer to build and cost far more than originally projected. The failure of these projects to come in on time and under budget undermines arguments that modern nuclear power plants can overcome the problems that have plagued the nuclear industry in the past.

"Developers in the industry and the US Department of Energy say that SMRs can be less costly and quicker to build than large reactors and that their modular nature makes it easier to balance power supply and demand. They also argue that reactors in a variety of sizes would be useful for a range of applications beyond grid-scale electrical power, including providing process heat to industrial plants and power to #DataCenters, #cryptocurrency mining operations, petrochemical production, and even electrical vehicle [#EV] charging stations.

"Here are five facts about SMRs that the nuclear industry and the 'nuclear bros' who push its message don’t want you, the public, to know."

Read more:
https://blog.ucs.org/edwin-lyman/five-things-the-nuclear-bros-dont-want-you-to-know-about-small-modular-reactors/

#HoltecLies #NuclearPower #NuclearLies #TEPCOLied #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies

#Wildfire risks high at #US #NuclearPlants

Posted on January 19, 2025 by beyondnuclearinternational

The GAO identifies a number of US nuclear power plant sites that are vulnerable to the possible outbreak of #wildfires where they are located.

"'According to our analysis of U.S. Forest Service and NRC data, about 20 percent of nuclear power plants (16 of 75) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire,' the GAO report states. 'More specifically, more than one-third of nuclear power plants in the South (nine of 25) and West (three of eight) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire.' The GAO goes on to identify 'Of the 16 plants with high or very high potential for wildfire, 12 are operating and four are shut down.'

"To analyze exposure to the wildfire hazard potential, the GAO used 2023 data from the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Hazard Potential Map. 'High / very high refers to plants in areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential. Those nuclear power stations described by GAO as 'high / very high' exposure to wildfires and their locations are excerpted from GAO Appendix III: Nuclear Power Plant Exposure to Selected Natural Hazards.

Table 1: Potential High Exposure to 'Wildfires' at Operating Nuclear Power Plants

–AZ / #SAFER, one of two mobile nuclear emergency equipment supply units in the nation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–CA / #DiabloCanyon Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–FL / #TurkeyPoint Units 3 & 4 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / #EdwinIHatch Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / #Vogtle Units Units 1, 2, 3 & 4, nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #BrunswickNC Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #McGuireNC Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #ShearonHarris Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH /VERY HIGH”
–NB / #CooperNuclearPowerStation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #Catawba Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #HBRobinson Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–WA / #ColumbiaNuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

Table 2: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Shutdown Nuclear Power Plants

–CA / #SanOnofre Units 1 & 2, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–FL / #CrystalRiver, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NJ / #OysterCreek, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NY / #IndianPoint Units 1, 2 & 3, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

"Wildfires can transport #radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities

"A historical review of wildfires that occur around nuclear facilities (research, military and commercial power) identifies that these events are also a very effective transport mechanism of radioactivity previously generated at these sites and subsequently released into the environment by accident, spills and leaks, and careless dumping. The radioactivity is #resuspended by wildfires that occur years, even decades later.

"The fires carry the radioactivity on smoke particles #downwind, thus expanding the zone of #contamination further and further with each succeeding fire. The dispersed #radionuclides can have very long half-lives meaning they remain biologically hazardous in the environment for decades, centuries and longer."

Read more:
https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2025/01/19/wildfire-risks-high-at-nuclear-plants/
#Downwinders #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #NuclearSafety #ClimateCrisis

"Now that Vogtle is done Georgia Power is looking for new ways to spend billions, and they decided on biomass. The request? Billions of dollars for...79 megawatts. That is not a typo."

#EnergyMastodon #EnergyTransition #Vogtle #Georgia #Climate

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/georgia-public-service-commissioners-war-power-customers-patty-durand-940xe

Troubled #VogtleNuclear experiencing more troubles! Expansion will cost twice as much as planned -- $35 billion!

[Full article - was behind a paywall] #Georgia Power Plant #Vogtle #nuclear reactor back in service after valve issue shut it down

By Dave Williams
July 17, 2024 1:14 PM

"A nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle that operators shut down last week is back in service and sending power to the electric grid, Georgia Power officials reported Wednesday.
Unit 3 at the nuclear plant south of Augusta, which went into full commercial operation last summer, was taken offline July 8 because of a problem with a valve on one of its three main pumps.

"Despite the shutdown, Unit 3 has operated at full power more than 98% of the time since it went into service last July 31. By comparison, the average capacity factor for the U.S. nuclear fleet was 93% last year, according to Georgia Power officials.

"Unit 3 and its companion - Unit 4, which went into full commercial operation in April - are the first new nuclear reactors built in the United States since the late 1980s.
The project was delayed by seven years, plagued by a series of cost overruns that drove up the final price tag to about $35 billion, more than twice the original estimate of $14 billion.

"Opponents of the nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle urged the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) in vain to cancel the project and instead step up the state’s commitment to expanding #renewable energy options.
The PSC voted last August to cap the costs #GeorgiaPower would be allowed to pass on to customers at nearly $7.6 billion, with shareholders picking up the rest.

"Georgia Power was a 45% partner in the Vogtle expansion, working with Oglethorpe Power, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) and Dalton Utilities."

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/state/georgia/article290161744.html

Price tag on #nuclear ambitions in #Sweden:
400 billion SEK (38bn.USD) to build 4 or 5 new reactors totalling 4-6 GW.
Seems optimistic, as #Vogtle and #HinkleyPointC only got 2 reactors for that price. But at least those projects weren't cancelled, like #VCSummer and #Fennovoima.

Government would offer cheap loans (300 bn.SEK) and fixed tariff 80 öre/kWh (7,7 USct/kWh) for 40 years, twice the recent market price.

Opposition calls this a waste of taxpayer money.

https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/utredning-om-finansiering-for-ny-karnkraft-presenterad-beraknas-kosta-400-miljarder

The highest priced MW/h rates ever! #Vogtle #NuclearMadness.
#Ratepayers in #Georgia will NEVER see the the benefits of #RenewableEnergy and #BESS as they will be paying for this #albatross for centuries to come.
Don't succumb to #NuclearMadness. #JustSayNo.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61963&src=email

"Vibrations in cooling system mean new Georgia nuclear reactor will again be delayed"

#nuclear #NuclearPower #Vogtle

https://www.gpb.org/news/2024/02/02/vibrations-in-cooling-system-mean-new-georgia-nuclear-reactor-will-again-be-delayed

Subsidies for nukes to then profit from us:

"Georgia Power customers to bear costs of $7.6 billion nuclear reactor construction"

#nuclear #NuclearPower #capitalism #Georgia #Vogtle

https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2023/12/19/georgia-power-customers-to-bear-costs-of-7-6-billion-nuclear-reactor-construction/