MidAmerican Energy wants to study small nuclear power plants. How would they work?
As part of its proposed $3.9 billion Wind Prime project to enhance its renewable energy generation, Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy wants to spend money to research the use of small-scale modular nuclear reactors.
What are small-scale modular nuclear reactors?
They're a new type of nuclear reactor that’s smaller than traditional reactors. About two dozen U.S. companies are developing advanced reactors, with some that could come on line by the end of the decade if the technology succeeds and federal regulators approve. For a utility like MidAmerican, which relies heavily on wind energy, they could be an alternative to using coal-fired power plants when wind isn't meeting enough of customers' needs.
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What are the advantages of small modular reactors?
Called small modular reactors, or SMRs, they are typically about one-third the size of current nuclear power plants, many of which are being retired. Proponents say they could offer lower upfront costs, improved safety and greater flexibility. They could be made in U.S. factories and moved to sites, including remote or small areas that cannot support large reactors, where they would be ready to "plug and play" upon arrival.
The biggest advantage of the nuclear plants is that, unlike coal- or gas-fired power plants, they don't generate carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
How do the nuclear reactors work?
Some, like most existing U.S. nuclear plants, are light-water reactors — just scaled down. Others use sodium as a cooling agent and molten salt to store energy, allowing it to be tapped when renewable energy resources like wind and solar power need to be supplemented. One such reactor is under development in Kemmerer, Wyoming, on the grounds of a coal-fired plant set to close in 2025. In a partnership between PacifiCorp., a Berkshire-Hathaway-owned sister utility of MidAmerican, and TerraPower, a company co-founded by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, the Natrium reactor is set to come online by 2028. The U.S. Department of Energy is investing nearly $2 billion in the project.
Among other planned small modular reactors are projects in Oregon, Idaho, Washington state and Tennessee.
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What's ahead?
With use of small modular reactors, the trade association for U.S. nuclear plant operators says it hopes to nearly double nuclear energy output over the next three decades. That translates to about 300 new small modular reactors, estimates Maria Korsnick, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute.
Are the small-scale modular nuclear reactors safe?
The Union of Concerned Scientists has cautioned that nuclear technology still comes with significant risks that other low-carbon energy sources don’t, including the danger of accidents or targeted attacks for both the radioactive waste and the reactors, and the unresolved question of how to store hazardous nuclear waste. The group does not oppose using nuclear power, but wants to make sure it’s safe.
The Environmental Working Group has said small reactors are going to be a “total financial debacle” because the cost of nuclear power never comes down, with costs and risks shifted to ratepayers.
And the Ohio-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis analyzed a small modular nuclear reactor being developed by NuScale Power in Oregon, concluding that it's “too expensive, too risky and too uncertain.” The company said that report mischaracterizes NuScale’s costs, does not accurately reflect or examine schedule timeframes, and even fails to understand the output.
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Sources: Associated Press, U.S. Department of Energy, TerraPower, Knoxville, Tennessee, News-Sentinel, USA Today
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How would small nuclear reactors work? MidAmerican wants to know
