[ti:Are Very Small Nuclear Reactors the Future of Electricity Production?]
[al:Science & Technology]
[ar:VOA]
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1New, very small nuclear reactors are changing the way people think about the complex form of renewable energy.
2Such reactors produce one hundredth of the electricity produced by nuclear power plants.
3They are small enough to be moved on a truck.
4However, very small nuclear reactors can produce enough electricity to run a small college, a hospital or a military base. Some universities are taking an interest.
5"What we see is these advanced reactor technologies having a real future in decarbonizing the energy landscape in the U.S. and around the world," said Caleb Brooks.
6He is a nuclear engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
7The small reactors have some of the same problems as the large ones.
8These problems include how to deal with radioactive waste and how to make sure they are secure.
9Supporters say those problems can be solved and that the benefits outweigh the risks.
10Some universities are interested in the technology because it could replace coal and gas energy.
11They say those forms of energy cause climate change.
12The University of Illinois aims to develop the technology as part of a clean energy future, Brooks said.
13The school plans to ask for government permission to build a high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor developed by the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation.
14The school aims to start operating it by early 2028.
15Brooks leads the project.
16Jacopo Buongiorno is a professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
17He said these small reactors, called microreactors, will be "transformative" because they will change how power is provided.
18He said they can be built in factories and can easily be connected to a local power system.
19"That's what we want to see, nuclear energy on demand as a product, not as a big, mega project," he said.
20Marc Nichol is a director for new reactors at the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C.
21He and Buongiorno consider the interest by universities as the start of a new movement.
22Last year, Pennsylvania State University signed a document to work with Westinghouse on microreactor technology.
23Mike Shaqqo, the company's top vice president for advanced reactor programs, said universities are going to be "one of our key early adopters for this technology."
24Professor Jean Paul Allain is head of Penn State's nuclear engineering department.
25He said the university wants to prove the technology so that industries, such as steel and cement manufacturers, can use it.
26Those two industries usually burn oil or gas and give off, or emit, a lot of carbon gasses.
27Using a microreactor also could be one of several ways to help the university use less natural gas to reach its long-term carbon emissions goals, he said.
28About twenty U.S. universities have reactors for research.
29But using them for energy is new.
30The University of Illinois's Brooks said the extra heat from burning coal and gas to make electricity is often wasted.
31But steam production from the nuclear microreactor is a carbon-free way to provide heat for large buildings in the Midwest and Northeast.
32A college usually has hundreds of buildings.
33Washington, D.C.-based Last Energy has built a microreactor in Brookshire, Texas.
34The company is taking it apart and moving it to Austin for the South by Southwest conference and festival in March.
35Last Energy's founder Bret Kugelmass said he is working with officials in Britain, Poland and Romania. He aims to get his first reactor running in Europe by 2025.
36He said the climate crisis is urgent so carbon-free energy is needed soon.
37"It has to be a small, manufactured product as opposed to a large...construction project," he said.
38Traditional nuclear power centers cost billions of dollars. For example, two additional reactors at a plant in Georgia will cost more than $30 billion.
39The total cost of Last Energy's microreactor, including all the required work is under $100 million, the company said.
40Westinghouse has been a major manufacturer in the nuclear industry for over 70 years.
41The company is developing its own microreactor called eVinci.
42The company plans to get the technology ready by 2027.
43Also, the U.S. Department of Defense is working on a microreactor project at the Idaho National Laboratory.
44Not everyone supports microreactors, however.
45Edwin Lyman is the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit group.
46He called the movement "completely unjustified."
47Lyman said microreactors would require much more uranium to be mined and enriched for each unit of electricity than for normal reactors.
48He said fuel costs would be much higher, and microreactors would produce more uranium waste than full-sized reactors.
49A 2022 study from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California found that smaller modular reactors produce more waste than normal, or conventional reactors.
50Modular reactors are larger than microreactors but smaller than conventional ones.
51Lindsay Krall was the lead writer of the study.
52She said the design of microreactors would make them produce more waste.
53Lyman said she does not support microreactors.
54Lyman added that he worries terrorists would target microreactors.
55He said some designs would use fuels that terrorists might want for simple nuclear weapons.
56Lyman's group does not oppose using nuclear power but wants to make sure it is safe.
57The United States does not have a national storage center for nuclear fuel waste.
58More microreactors, Lyman said, would only make the problem worse.
59But Kugelmass of Last Energy sees only promise.
60Nuclear, he said, will be important to the world's "energy transformation moving forward."
61I'm Mario Ritter Jr. And I'm Dorothy Gundy.
1New, very small nuclear reactors are changing the way people think about the complex form of renewable energy. 2Such reactors produce one hundredth of the electricity produced by nuclear power plants. 3They are small enough to be moved on a truck. 4However, very small nuclear reactors can produce enough electricity to run a small college, a hospital or a military base. Some universities are taking an interest. 5"What we see is these advanced reactor technologies having a real future in decarbonizing the energy landscape in the U.S. and around the world," said Caleb Brooks. 6He is a nuclear engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 7The small reactors have some of the same problems as the large ones. 8These problems include how to deal with radioactive waste and how to make sure they are secure. 9Supporters say those problems can be solved and that the benefits outweigh the risks. 10Some universities are interested in the technology because it could replace coal and gas energy. 11They say those forms of energy cause climate change. 12The University of Illinois aims to develop the technology as part of a clean energy future, Brooks said. 13The school plans to ask for government permission to build a high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor developed by the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. 14The school aims to start operating it by early 2028. 15Brooks leads the project. 16Jacopo Buongiorno is a professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 17He said these small reactors, called microreactors, will be "transformative" because they will change how power is provided. 18He said they can be built in factories and can easily be connected to a local power system. 19"That's what we want to see, nuclear energy on demand as a product, not as a big, mega project," he said. 20Marc Nichol is a director for new reactors at the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C. 21He and Buongiorno consider the interest by universities as the start of a new movement. 22Last year, Pennsylvania State University signed a document to work with Westinghouse on microreactor technology. 23Mike Shaqqo, the company's top vice president for advanced reactor programs, said universities are going to be "one of our key early adopters for this technology." 24Professor Jean Paul Allain is head of Penn State's nuclear engineering department. 25He said the university wants to prove the technology so that industries, such as steel and cement manufacturers, can use it. 26Those two industries usually burn oil or gas and give off, or emit, a lot of carbon gasses. 27Using a microreactor also could be one of several ways to help the university use less natural gas to reach its long-term carbon emissions goals, he said. 28About twenty U.S. universities have reactors for research. 29But using them for energy is new. 30The University of Illinois's Brooks said the extra heat from burning coal and gas to make electricity is often wasted. 31But steam production from the nuclear microreactor is a carbon-free way to provide heat for large buildings in the Midwest and Northeast. 32A college usually has hundreds of buildings. 33Washington, D.C.-based Last Energy has built a microreactor in Brookshire, Texas. 34The company is taking it apart and moving it to Austin for the South by Southwest conference and festival in March. 35Last Energy's founder Bret Kugelmass said he is working with officials in Britain, Poland and Romania. He aims to get his first reactor running in Europe by 2025. 36He said the climate crisis is urgent so carbon-free energy is needed soon. 37"It has to be a small, manufactured product as opposed to a large...construction project," he said. 38Traditional nuclear power centers cost billions of dollars. For example, two additional reactors at a plant in Georgia will cost more than $30 billion. 39The total cost of Last Energy's microreactor, including all the required work is under $100 million, the company said. 40Westinghouse has been a major manufacturer in the nuclear industry for over 70 years. 41The company is developing its own microreactor called eVinci. 42The company plans to get the technology ready by 2027. 43Also, the U.S. Department of Defense is working on a microreactor project at the Idaho National Laboratory. 44Not everyone supports microreactors, however. 45Edwin Lyman is the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit group. 46He called the movement "completely unjustified." 47Lyman said microreactors would require much more uranium to be mined and enriched for each unit of electricity than for normal reactors. 48He said fuel costs would be much higher, and microreactors would produce more uranium waste than full-sized reactors. 49A 2022 study from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California found that smaller modular reactors produce more waste than normal, or conventional reactors. 50Modular reactors are larger than microreactors but smaller than conventional ones. 51Lindsay Krall was the lead writer of the study. 52She said the design of microreactors would make them produce more waste. 53Lyman said she does not support microreactors. 54Lyman added that he worries terrorists would target microreactors. 55He said some designs would use fuels that terrorists might want for simple nuclear weapons. 56Lyman's group does not oppose using nuclear power but wants to make sure it is safe. 57The United States does not have a national storage center for nuclear fuel waste. 58More microreactors, Lyman said, would only make the problem worse. 59But Kugelmass of Last Energy sees only promise. 60Nuclear, he said, will be important to the world's "energy transformation moving forward." 61I'm Mario Ritter Jr. And I'm Dorothy Gundy.