Small Modular Reactors: a guide to new-to-nuclear nations

Dr Adi Paterson

Pacific Nuclear Basin Conference, Vancouver 2014.

Hazelwood Power Station, Latrobe Valley, Australia.

Energy Information Administration, USA.

Energy growth in non-OECD nations

0

10

20

30

40

1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040

World electricity consumption, 1990-2040

OECD

Non-OECD

Trillion kWh

Year

History Projection

Source: http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682915/infographic-majority-of-earth-s-population-resides-in-this-

one-relatively-small-circle?utm_source=twitter

Graphic Design: Mark Ho

Data: World Bank, 2011

Area = population

Colour = kWh per

person per annum

National Electricity Consumption

% electricity from nuclear

Worldbank, 2013 Graphics: gapminder.com

% of electricity

from nuclear

100 %

50 %

0%

1 billion

250 million

Population Sizes

100 million

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Nuclear power installed capacity [GW]

Top 10 nuclear power generators

Country, % of nuclear from total electricity production

[GW]

IAEA, 2013.

19 %

43 %

73 %

30 %

18 % 28 % 2 % 16 % 44 % 15 %

Nuclear power reactors in Asia

PAKISTAN

3 2 0

INDIA

20 7 18

CHINA

17 28 57

VIETNAM

0 0 4

JAPAN

48 3 10

SOUTH

KOREA

23 5 5

Operational Under construction Planned

Taiwan

6 2 0

INDONESIA

0 0 2

2013

Larger reactors:

large grids, supply chains

Shippingport

60 MWe

1958

Taishan

1,750 MWe

2015

Peach Bottom Unit 2

1,180 MWe

1974

Small modular reactors

Definition: < 300 MWe

• Smaller initial capital

• Gen III+ passive safety

• Smaller EPZs

• Design philosophy

• Siting

• Fleet(s)

• Scaling barriers to entry

SMRs make nuclear more attractive

• Safer

• Smaller

• Smaller EPZ

• Co-generation

• Buy-burn-return

• Lower build cost

• Remote deployment

• Shared approach to licensing

Stakeholder engagement

Local Nuclear Regulatory Authority

Public Outreach

Energy Planning Authority

Legal Consultant

Reactor Vendor Host Country

Strategy Advisor

Export Credit Agency

Engineering Procurement &

Construction

Commercial Banker

Electricity Market

Regulator Utility

Rating Agency

Miniaturise & mass produce

Graphics:

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries &

Westinghouse

Requirements: new to nuclear • Regulator(s)

• Utility

• Public engagement

• Workforce

• Financing

• Sovereign risk

• Credit agency

• Fuel disposal

• Risk mitigation

mPower

NuScale

SVBR-100

KLT-40S

ACP-100

CAREM

Other designs

Fleet

First connection

to grid

First concrete

Detailed design

Concept design

Test reactor

Paper

Develo

pm

en

t m

atu

rity

Gen 2 Gen 3 Gen 4

Survey of Some SMRs

KLT-40S 70

CAREM 27

BARC 300

VBER-300 300

PHWR 220/540/700

CNP 300 300

SMART 100

NuScale 45

mPower 180

IRIS 200

4S 10 EM2

240

HTR10 10

HPM 25

SVBR-100 100

PRISM 311

HTR PM 250

Global integrated nuclear industry

Mature nuclear program

Mainstream nuclear

Transformational nuclear

Small nuclear nation

First concrete

New entrants

New Build: Design maturity and regulators

Reg

ula

tor

cap

acit

y a

nd

exp

eri

en

ce

Design improvement Design evolution Design revolution

South Korea

China

UK

Russia

Japan

France

Finland

United States

Turkey,

Vietnam

United Arab

Emirates

Global integrated nuclear industry

Mature nuclear program

Mainstream nuclear

Transformational nuclear

Small nuclear nation

First concrete

New entrants

Large Reactors vs SMRs

Reg

ula

tor

cap

acit

y a

nd

exp

eri

en

ce

Design improvement Design evolution Design revolution

Current Nuclear Power

• Large

• Slow to establish

• Expensive upfront

Current SMRs

• New technologies

• In development

• Requires demonstration

Future SMRs

• Fleet roll-out

• Smaller, faster to build

• International regulatory

approach

• Factory assembly

• Buy-burn-return fuel

Requirements: new to nuclear • Regulator(s)

• Utility

• Public engagement

• Workforce

• Financing

• Sovereign risk

• Credit agency

• Fuel disposal

• Risk mitigation

Acknowledgments

• Mark Ho and Greg Storr are co-authors of

the paper that is based on this presentation

• PNBC Organisers for the invitation

• Cited Sources

Open Pool Australian Light-water Reactor

Questions / Feedback

Thank You