Nuclear power will need to play a more prominent role in global decarbonization to hold back climate change. As the current situation shows, renewable sources have increased, but it’s not enough to displace fossil fuels in the mix.
Nuclear power plants generate carbon-free electricity because they don’t produce greenhouse gas emissions during operation. A few companies have been proposing the deployment of mini nuclear stations because they would be faster to build and cheaper, helping to accelerate the transition.
GEH developed a small modular boiling water reactor to reduce plant size by 90% to reduce construction costs. It expects the reactor to enter commercial operations by 2027. Also in America, Bill Gates debut a combo mini-reactor-plus-energy-storage system that’s intended to be a zero-emissions alternative to gas-peaking power plants.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Rolls-Royce debuted its small modular reactor technology to match solar and wind on power costs because of its compact size. Its small modular reactors are produced off-site and then delivered to the location for rapid assembly, rather than being built on-site.
The manufacturer is leading a nine-member consortium to mass manufacture mini nuclear power plants that employ its reactor. It recently proposed building 10-15 mini stations In the UK by 2029 – each being roughly 1.5 acres big, resting on a 10-acre site – which is 1/16th the size of a typical nuclear power station.
The UK government seems to agree with Rolls-Royce’s proposition as the ministers have announced funding between £1.5 billion and £2 billion could be put into the project. The plan has altered a little; they would build 16 mini stations by 2050. The pledge is yet to be confirmed, but the Government will disclose the decision during the Treasury’s next spending review this year.
Prospects are looking good. The nation’s attempts to build six large nuclear power stations ended with just one going ahead – Hinkley Point, which is expected to cost £22.5 billion. The mini nuclear power stations will be much cheaper: £2.2 billion for the first five sites, dropping to £1.8 billion for the rest. Furthermore, if all 16 are built, it would create 40,000 new UK jobs.
The Government handed the Rolls-Royce-led coalition £18 million in January – which was matched by the consortium – to design the modular reactors. It plans to have finished designs by next spring. Once ready, they’ll enter phase two of the project, involving a four-year licensing process to recruit staff, select the sites, and pick factories to make parts.
And while this push for ‘baby’ plants is only going on in the UK, it could happen in other countries. It would be beneficial if small modular reactors went into widespread use. To successfully decarbonize the world will likely require all carbon-free technologies available. It’s silly to wait for new solutions when reasonable solutions that work are already at our disposal. We can make a cleaner, sustainable world worthy of passing on for generations to come simply by achieving harmony between all the possibilities.
