Why Bill Gates Is Banking On Small Modular Nuclear Reactors

When TerraPower and PacifiCorp said in June that they would place a right-sized nuclear reactor in Wyoming where a coal plant once stood, it barely made a ripple. The president’s green infrastructure plan had drowned out the news. But nuclear energy is expensive and all of the dollar signs combined have become blinding.

While not without controversy, those small modular reactors can be factory-built and then shipped before the modules would be set side-by-side as energy needs grow. That not only can improve the economic odds but it can also reduce the environmental risks given that the reactor cores are smaller and hold less radioactive fuel. Are such plants practical in the United States?

“Small modular reactors allow us to enter new markets,” says Ali Zbib, manager of nuclear power systems for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in an interview with this writer. “Large reactors have not necessarily been suitable for smaller nations or regions with smaller grids. Having said that, small reactors do offer significant advantages in established markets. In the U.S., for example, two large nuclear units are under construction that have not competed on scope and on budget. So there is a shift to small modular reactors.”

“The Natrium technology was designed to solve a challenge utilities face as they work to enhance grid reliability and stability while meeting decarbonization and emissions-reduction goals,” said TerraPower’s Chief Executive Chris Levesque.

Source: Forbes