Great news from the Idaho News:
Plan to build first small US nuclear reactors in Idaho advances
A plan to build the nation's first small modular nuclear reactors to produce commercial power is a step closer.
A Utah-based energy cooperative said Wednesday that it has sales contracts for enough carbon-free power to begin a license application process with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build the reactors in eastern Idaho.
Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems already has agreements with the U.S. Department of Energy to build the reactors at the federal agency's 890-square-mile (2,300-square-kilometer) site that includes the Idaho National Laboratory.
A small modular nuclear reactor can produce about 60 megawatts, or enough to power more than 50,000 homes. The proposed project includes 12 small modular reactors.
The energy cooperative says it has carbon-free contracts for more than 150 megawatts. Its goal is to begin construction on the reactors in 2023.
The down side is that these are conventional reactors - 60 year old designs with the attendant problems.
The up side is that these are a lot smaller than the 1,200 megawatt units that are being built. If something goes wrong, things move a lot slower so it will be easier to correct. Plus, by using a lot of small cheap identical cores, you have the same redundancy that the US Navy enjoys. They use a lot of identical cores and if there is an issue with a coolant pump bearing or such, they figure out a solution and replace all of them. End of problem. The Navy's safety record is spotless.
My ideal nuke is a LFTR but that is a different story.
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