NuScale Modular Reactor gets NRC certification

[gleem]

NuScale Power a startup company whose product is a modular reactor of 50 MW has received NRC certification so utilities can reference this reactor in their application to build a power plant using this design.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/t...A16zG60?cvid=aea9bfdb3d5c4073b75f973c2004c008

The question remains can this modular concept reduce the cost of nuclear power plants by production scale and standardization of installations?

 

[Astronuc]

NuScale Power a startup company whose product is a modular reactor of 50 MW has received NRC certification so utilities can reference this reactor in their application to build a power plant using this design.

Each module produces 50 MWe, and so plants could be designed for 600 MWe (12 modular units), or larger.

The question remains can this modular concept reduce the cost of nuclear power plants by production scale and standardization of installations?

Too early to tell. In theory, one can get up one or two modules very quickly, and add over time.

One could build a small 100 MWe plant (2 modules), 200 MWe (4 modules), and so on. I don't know what the installation process looks like yet. For example, can existing modules operate during installation of the new units?

One supposed benefit of the NuScale modular plant is the smaller Emergency Planning Zones (EPZ), since the modules in theory were accident-resistant or accident toleration (I don't really know where they are with that). However, the Fukushima accident raised issues of co-located units, which is an issue for multi unit plants.
NRC Ref for EPZ: https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/emerg-preparedness/about-emerg-preparedness/planning-zones.html

Over the past three or so decades, most single unit nuclear plants (NPPs) have shutdown. Those existing single units have been sold off to larger utilities like Exelon and Entergy.