Posted on 03/29/2025 5:56:31 AM PDT by Libloather
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — With the promise of newer, cheaper nuclear power on the horizon, U.S. states are vying to position themselves to build and supply the industry’s next generation as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and paving over regulatory obstacles.
Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government’s regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms.
The reactors could be operational as early as 2030, giving states a short runway to roll out the red carpet, and they face lingering public skepticism about safety and growing competition from renewables like wind and solar. Still, the reactors have high-level federal support, and utilities across the U.S. are working to incorporate the energy source into their portfolios.
Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy and this year lawmakers have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, said Marc Nichol of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade association whose members include power plant owners, universities and labor unions.
“We’ve seen states taking action at ever-increasing levels for the past few years now,” Nichol said in an interview.
Smaller, more flexible nuclear reactors
Smaller reactors are, in theory, faster to build and easier to site than conventional reactors. They could be factory-built from standard parts and are touted as flexible enough to plunk down for a single customer, like a data center or an industrial complex.
**SNIP**
Tech giants Amazon and Google are investing in nuclear reactors to get the power they need, as states compete with Big Tech, and each other, in a race for electricity.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) saw an important landmark in the US last month when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission finally approved the design of a first-of-its-kind SMR from the Oregon-based nuclear firm NuScale Power.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines SMRs as advanced nuclear-fission reactors that have a power generation capacity of up to 300MW per unit – around a third of the capacity of traditional reactors. Their perceived benefits derive from the ‘small’ and ‘modular’ nature of their design. Their diminutive size means they can be sited at locations unsuited to larger nuclear power plants. Prefabricated units of SMRs could be manufactured and then shipped and installed on site, potentially making them more affordable to build than traditional reactors, which are typically custom-designed for specific places, often resulting in construction delays. The technology is designed to save on cost and construction time, and be deployed incrementally to match increasing energy demand.
“The supply chain for building reactors is another question.
The U.S. lacks high-quality concrete- and steel-fabrication design skills necessary to manufacture a nuclear power plant, Kochunas said.”
I talked to a pilot who works for one of these private companies trying to develop microreactors. He told me the same thing.
CALLING MIKE ROWE... CALLING MIKE ROWE!!!
Can’t wait till they create pocket reactors the size of c3ll phones to power up a whole house incase of power outages which will increase due to asinine electric on,y mandates.
It’s my understanding these SMRs are also safe regarding meltdown dangers as well, correct? They seem like a very logical solution to power issues.
Plus, Lyman said, “the likelihood that those are going to be deployable and instantly 100% reliable right out of the gate is just not consistent with the history of nuclear power development. And so it’s a much riskier bet.”
Who would want one of these in their neighborhood? These big data centers aren't built out in the middle of nowhere, and even if they were, suburban creep would soon surround them.
Looks like the same old game wrapped in new ribbon and paper.
Based on our energy bills, the energy companies do NOT need "expanding subsidies." Just get out of the way -- government -- and they will do as they can and need to do.
“...pocket reactors the size of cell phones...”
A TRUE electric automobile, without need for a massive battery pack, might then be a practical alternative, with refueling necessary only every few months or even years.
Nuclear reactors produce heat. A clever means of capturing that heat and turning it into electric power, say like a Stirling hot-air engine, driving an electric generator, would provide the power on demand, and when not in use or at reduced demand, the excess heat would be dispersed into the atmosphere.
How long before you can shop for desktop nuclear reactors for your home on QVC and HSN?
Actually we do. The left wing anti nuclear power have killed several proposals with scare tactics. The left is basically Anti-American in its present form of government. Their logic is, "if it hurts America it is good."
Pronto.
Not a chance in ‘Ell in the US. Even if all of congress and the Exec branch were OK (like they used to be back in the ‘50’s), the courts will always let the treehuggers delay until the money runs out.
Gov’mt could license by fiat and subcontract to a private company to build and operate. This would protect against lawsuits. But, that requires courage. Not in the US.
BTWay, I am speaking from 25+ years in the commercial nuke industry in the US. I participated in those fights and we always lost.
[[with refueling necessary only every few months or even years.]]
Man o man wouldn’t that be something? Especially if it was like 4 times a year or so mething?
[[the excess heat would be dispersed into the atmosphere]]
Or hook it up to a home heat storage and delivery unit, and heat the home during the winter months.
'' The left is basically Anti-American in its present form of government. Their logic is, 'if it hurts America it is good'."
The American Left today has become an income transfer game to the few and politicallty well-connected. In so many areas.
Were the federal government to get out of the "business" of subsidizing anything, venture capital would flow to where profit and productivity align. Of course, doing so would be pro-America in the long run.
We watch the de-industrialization of Germany thanks to the Green Party and green politics, stuffed with subsidies for the few and politically "green" and hamstringing the true productivity there. It should be an example to us, and sadly isn't. Yet.
I want one of those small reactors from ‘Back To The Future’ for my F150. For towing, long haul, and visiting my long past ancestors. The usual stuff.
Who would want one of these in their neighborhood?
The measure of a civilization is how much power it can produce per person.
You wrote “Their diminutive size means they can be sited at locations unsuited to larger nuclear power plants.”
“Diminutive” is inaccurate. The size of the land required for a 300 MW reactor will not be 30% of the land required for a 1,000 MW reactor. System areal requirements do not scale linearly.
It seems the SMR developers are doing away with the large concrete pressure containment vessel to make them smaller. Radiation containment is supposed to be done by improved primary and secondary loop design and by burying the reactor underground.
ah...and that’s the problem the greenies will point out right away...excess heat dispersed into the atmosphere. can’t win with the “save the earf” people. they dimly believe that humans shouldn’t be allowed to use any of the earths resources for any reason. except the ones used to make cellphones, Ben and jerry’s ice cream, Starbucks products, doordash cars....
[[The American Left today has become an income transfer game to the few and politicallty well-connected]]
I would just add to that
The American Left today has become a tyranical militant income transfer mob whose,only goal is,to enrich the few well-connected leaders and their friends and family. We just had to endure such a family’s power and money grab for 4 years.
Harbor Freight too.
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