Department of Energy Back Small Modular Reactors at Annual Global Meeting

By etully on Mar 7, 2012

This week the U.S. Department of Energy announced it will deploy Small Modular Reactors at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

3 units in total will be built at the site, including two LWRs from NuScale and SMR LLC and one advanced reactor from Hyperion Power Generation.

This announcement was quickly followed by the Savannah River National Laboratory confirming their role as the Platinum Sponsor of the 2^ndAnnual Small Modular Reactor Conference, which is taking place in Columbia South Carolina on the 24-25 April 2012.

Dr. Dave Moody, who will be delivering a keynote address at the conference, stated in a recent interview “we have a unique combination of nuclear knowledge and laboratory expertise, infrastructure, location and much more to make the Site a natural fit for advancing the small modular reactor technology,” the deployment of reactors at the site is also set to reinvigorate “SRS assets to impact national needs and influence new missions for the future.”

The 2^ndAnnual Small Modular Reactor Conference is also well supported by national utilities including Exelon, SCE&G, Progress, Duke, Dominion and many more – not to mention international utilities from mainland Europe and nuclear giant China. As the scale of the world’s largest SMR conference was released rumours throughout the industry, and of course Capitol Hill, quickly spread. This led to U.S. Congressmen, NRC directors and global nuclear decision makers instantly confirming their participation.

Now over 300 of the most powerful global generation executives will make their way to Columbia SC on the 24-25 April to develop their SMR plans and build multi-billion dollar supply chains with expert contractors and service providers.

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U.S. Energy Department Spurs Nuclear Technology

Written by: By Susan Graybeal

Article Credit: Kevin Cole

The Department of Energy announced Friday it has entered three private-public partnerships to for the development of small nuclear reaction technologies near Aiken, S.C. The partnerships are a part of the department's ongoing efforts to spur nuclear energy in America. Here are the details.

* The partnership agreements were between the DOE's Savannah River Site and Savannah River National Laboratory and SMR, a subsidiary of Hotlec International, Hyperion Power Generation and NuScale Power. The agreements will help those companies to gather information regarding a potential siting of a small nuclear reactor at Savannah River.

* In January, the department reported its intention to enter cost-sharing agreements with private companies in order to support the design and licensing of small nuclear reactors.

* At approximately one-third the size of current plants, small nuclear reactors offer a host of safety, siting, construction and economic benefits, the DOE stated. The DOE intends to fund two small nuclear reactor designs with deployment of the reactors within 10 years.

* In addition to the commitment to small nuclear reactors, the Energy Department also has announced $10 million in research funds for work to improve reactor safety, performance and cost competitiveness.

* The DOE also committed $8 billion in loan guarantees to support of the Vogtle project, which is two nuclear reactors to be built by Southern Company and Georgia Powers. An additional $200 million has been provided through a cost-share agreement to support the Vogtle license for the first nuclear power plant construction in more than thirty years.

* $170 million has also been given in research grants at 70 universities for the research and development of nuclear technologies.

* According to a Facebook posting offered by DOE Secretary Steven Chu in late February, nuclear power currently provides 20 percent of the electricity in the U.S. With an estimated 20 percent increase in overall energy demand and a 30 percent increase in electricity demand predicted over the next 25 years, Chu explained, "if we want to make a serious dent in carbon dioxide emissions -- not to mention having cleaner air and cleaner water -- then nuclear power has to be on the table."

LINK

Energy Department Spurs Nuclear Technology

The Department of Energy announced Friday it has entered three private-public partnerships to for the development of small nuclear reaction technologies near Aiken, S.C. The partnerships are a part of the department's ongoing efforts to spur nuclear energy in America. Here are the details.

* The partnership agreements were between the DOE's Savannah River Site and Savannah River National Laboratory and SMR, a subsidiary of Hotlec International, Hyperion Power Generation and NuScale Power. The agreements will help those companies to gather information regarding a potential siting of a small nuclear reactor at Savannah River.

* In January, the department reported its intention to enter cost-sharing agreements with private companies in order to support the design and licensing of small nuclear reactors.

* At approximately one-third the size of current plants, small nuclear reactors offer a host of safety, siting, construction and economic benefits, the DOE stated. The DOE intends to fund two small nuclear reactor designs with deployment of the reactors within 10 years.

* In addition to the commitment to small nuclear reactors, the Energy Department also has announced $10 million in research funds for work to improve reactor safety, performance and cost competitiveness.

* The DOE also committed $8 billion in loan guarantees to support of the Vogtle project, which is two nuclear reactors to be built by Southern Company and Georgia Powers. An additional $200 million has been provided through a cost-share agreement to support the Vogtle license for the first nuclear power plant construction in more than thirty years.

* $170 million has also been given in research grants at 70 universities for the research and development of nuclear technologies.

* According to a Facebook posting offered by DOE Secretary Steven Chu in late February, nuclear power currently provides 20 percent of the electricity in the U.S. With an estimated 20 percent increase in overall energy demand and a 30 percent increase in electricity demand predicted over the next 25 years, Chu explained, "if we want to make a serious dent in carbon dioxide emissions -- not to mention having cleaner air and cleaner water -- then nuclear power has to be on the table."